A police constable was killed and many others were injured following a political party mob violence in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. The district-wide agitation, which took place just a couple of hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in the district, also had protesters pelting stones on the vehicles of many BJP leaders and supporters who were returning from the rally and commuted through Ghazipur.
Police later confirmed the attackers as members of the Nishad Party, who carried on the protests to demand reservation in government jobs and colleges for their community. So far arrested 13 people related to the incident and detained 10 more for interrogation.
The incident reportedly occurred at around 5:30 pm in the evening at the Atwa turning more, which falls under Nonhara police station. A report in NDTV stated that the victim, Suresh Vats, a constable of Karimudeen police station was returning from his duty in PM Modi’s rally, barely 15 kilometres away from Atwa.
Vats was returning on a motorcycle with another policeman when they were hit by bricks from the attackers. The other policeman returned unhurt as he was wearing a helmet.
Meanwhile, Vijay Singh Meena, the Varanasi range inspector general, informed Hindustan Times that the Nishad Party workers had blocked the road in the morning as a protest to demand more reservation but they were chased off while four people were arrested for disturbing the traffic.
But later a group of 60-70 Party workers gathered at the same area and started the agitation demanding the release of those arrested.
UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced an amount of Rs 40 lakh as a compensation for the victim’ wife and Rs 10 lakh to his parents. A job has also been guaranteed to one of his dependents.
The constable’s death was the second such incident in UP in the last few weeks. Earlier, inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was shot dead in Bulandshahr on December 3, over cow slaughtering allegations.