Six police officers have been suspended.
Terror has gripped an area in Bareilly after a busy road became the scene of an hours-long gun battle this morning, culminating in one man running over another before falling into what appears to be a large sewer. Adding to residents' sense of insecurity is the fact that a few police officers reportedly arrived on the scene as the shots were fired but chose to remain silent spectators.
Videos from Pilibhit Road in the area around Izzat Nagar police station in Bareilly show members of a land mafia gang firing at two plot owners as they tried to take cover behind a car. While the gangsters use a gun, one of the owners is armed with a rifle, sending bullets whizzing across the road.
One of the gangsters is seen walking towards the dividing line and shooting at the two men. The man holding the gun fires back as his relative behind him picks up what looks like a rock and throws it across the road. Vehicles can be seen stopping some distance from the shooting zone and the man who threw the rock gets into the car after being ordered to do so by the shooter.
As the man speeds against the flow of traffic, the gangsters continue shooting, only to discover that the car – which has taken a U-turn – is barreling towards them. They rush to get out of the way, but the man holding the gun is run over by the car before it ends up in the sewer. No injuries were reported in the fire.
Sources said a builder, Rajiv Rana, had tried to take over the plot – near Bajrang Dhaba on Pilibhit road – owned by Aditya Upadhyay. Complaints had been made to the police, but no action was taken.
Circle Officer Anita Chauhan said Rana came with two JCBs this morning to take possession of the plot and Mr Upadhyay and his relative tried to stop him. This led to the shooting and both JCBs were also set on fire.
Bareilly Senior Superintendent of Police Ghule Sushil Kumar said, “Two cases have been filed and some people have been taken into custody. A team has been formed and the accused will be arrested after an investigation. This is a serious incident and we will impose charges under the Gangster Act and the National Security Act, there also appear to have been lapses by local police officials and six police officers have been suspended, including the Izzat Nagar police station in charge. An investigation has been initiated against them.”
Taking aim at the government in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party called on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to rein in the 'thriving' mafia in the state.
I think it's okay That's true!
I think it's good. I think I did good
I think it's okay Do you like it?
I think it's okay जनता। pic.twitter.com/9vFjha0Kd8
— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) June 22, 2024
'Gondaism is at its peak in Uttar Pradesh, morale of criminals is high! In Bareilly, government-protected goons opened fire in broad daylight over a land dispute. When will the Prime Minister rein in the mafia that thrives on the government's blessings? “The public is concerned about the unsafe environment in the state,” the party posted in Hindi on X with a video of the shooting.
(With inputs from Randeep Singh)
