Hamirpur violence: Govt suspends SP

LUCKNOW: The state government on Sunday suspended superintendent of police, Hamirpur, DP Singh for his failure to contain violence in the district in which one person was killed in police firing. The government also announced ex gratia reflief of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased and ordered a magisterial probe into the police firing.
The decisions came after chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is on a foreign trip, ordered action against officials who failed to contain the situation.
Violence erupted in Hamirpur on Saturday during a protest against alleged police inaction in a case of abetment of suicide of a teenage girl. A named FIR against the two accused, Jitendra Yadav and Bhure Yadav, was lodged.
Jitendra Yadav, has been arrested, said principal secretary home Debashish Panda. DIG Chitrakoot Dham Gyaneshwar Tewari, who is camping in Hamirpur, told TOI that hunt was on to nab Bhure Yadav.
Reports that one of the accused is close to a local leader of the Samajwadi Party evoked sharp reactions from the opposition. “SP goons first misbehaved with the girl and the police opened fire at villagers when they reached the police station to seek justice,” said BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya. BJP state chief Laxmikant Bajpai said “SP goons” were involved in the incident. Congress spokesman Dwijendra Tripathi said UP is the only state where criminals are patronized by a political party.
According to reports class XII student, Sukriti Khare alias Ranno (17) of Biwar village in Hamirpur, was being harassed constantly by two brothers Bhure and Jitendra Yadav of her village. On Saturday day morning Sukriti was intercepted by the brothers and when she resisted, they thrashed her. The girl went home, narrated the incidentto her family and then immolated herself.
When her body was brought home after postmortem, there was a public outcry. Hundreds of villagers put the body on the road and blocked traffic on the Kanpur highway.
Police reached the spot which agitated the public further. As the protest turned violent, police resorted to firing, in which three persons, including Mohit Pandey (18) were injured. Mohit later succumbed to his injuries.