Gorakhpur: An angry mob thrashed a man to death at a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district on Monday, allegedly in the presence of police which had arrived thereafter he shot dead a school teacher.
Following the incident, the SHO of Taryasujan police station under whose jurisdiction the double murder took place was suspended and a probe was ordered against the erring policemen, an official said.
A video clip on social media showed policemen present at the scene in riot gear but unable to stop people from raining lathi blows on the man lying on the ground.
The incident took place at Rampur Bangra village of the Taryasujan area around 8 am, police said.
The teacher, Sudhir Kumar Singh (28), a resident of Rampur Bangra village under Taryasujan police station limit in Kushinagar district was teaching in a junior high school (class 6 to class 8) in Bihar.
The incident triggered the opposition parties criticism over law and order in the state.
When asked about the video clip, police said “all angles” will be taken care of during the probe.
According to Kushinagar Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Mishra, the man had visited the residence of Sudhir Kumar Singh around 8 am, claiming to be a friend of his elder brother.
“As Singh was taking a bath, he waited for him and had tea. As soon as Singh came out, he shot him dead,” the SP said.
Hearing the cries of women, some villagers gathered there but the accused went to the terrace of the house and continued firing, the SP added.
“Meanwhile, the police reached the spot but he continued firing and when they retaliated from the terrace of another house, he came down and tried to hide in a room,” the SP said.
“But the locals gathered there, broke open the door and thrashed him,” he said, adding by the time police could take him in custody, he had died.
Taryasujan SHO Harendra Mishra said that the man was around 25 years old and was a resident of Nanda Nagar Dargahi in Gorakhpur district.
His brother told police over the phone that his name was Aryaman Yadav, the SHO added.
The police reached the spot and took both the bodies in their charge. The pistol used by the assailant too has been recovered, he added.
Police said that the motive of the murder is yet to be found.
“Taryasujan SHO Harendra Mishra has been suspended and a probe committee has been constituted against him and other policemen of the police station for not being able to protect the accused. Action will be taken after the report,” SP Vinod Kumar Mishra said.
Hitting out at the UP government, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said in a Hindi tweet, “There were tight security arrangements for the important persons yesterday in Kushinagar and today everything is missing. A teacher has been shot dead. Sad.
If the entire police is engaged in VVIP security, what will happen to law and order? The public is asking if there is any saviour for us in UP?”
Reacting to the incident, Rashtriya Lok Dal’s national secretary Anupam Mishra said, “It is very shocking that there is no law and order in the state. The UP Government has failed to control crime, and people have lost their trust in the administration.”