At Dujana village, a ‘forgotten’ house is opened after a decade

Noida: A house overrun by weeds and forgotten by most became the centre of attention at Dujana village on Thursday afternoon. It was opened, according to locals, for the first time in nearly a decade to prepare for the last rites of Anil Dujana. This is the house where the boy who was to become one of the state’s most wanted criminals grew up.As word about the encounter in Meerut in which the special task force gunned down Anil (43) spread, locals began gathering near the house. Mahipal Singh, who identified himself as a relative of the family, claimed some of his family members would come on Friday. None of Anil’s four brothers live in Dujana anymore, nor do his wife and daughter, who are based in Baghpat. “The house has been locked for many years. Anil did not visit the village for 15-17 years. He used to talk to his relatives over the phone once in a while, but asked about the village and its people,” Singh said.Youngsters who had gathered near the house said they had only heard or read about him in the news and the name of the village constantly reminded them of him. Among the older ones, the encounter evoked a mixed response. “His family was respected by us. He met his fate as he was a dreaded criminal,” said Vikram Dhedha. A local resident who asked not to be named said encounters “cannot replace due process of law”. “This is absolutely wrong,” he said. Police said they were on alert, but no special security arrangements had been made in Dujana. There was no word from the cops on whether the last rites would be performed at Dujana.