Three days after 28-year-old Pushpendra Yadav was allegedly shot in a police encounter in Jhansi, Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav met his family on Wednesday, 9 October and demanded a judicial probe into the incident.
Akhilesh, while addressing a press conference on Thursday, 10 October said that the encounter was a “police lynching,” according to The Indian Express.
Earlier, Jhansi Police had cremated Pushpendra’s body late on Monday, 7 October as his family refused to take his body until a case was lodged against the officer who shot him.
“It is surprising that even the last rites were performed by the police without the family members. Is this Ram Rajya?”Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party President
The family has alleged the inspector, a Station House Officer (SHO) killed Pushpendra when he was asked to return Rs 1 lakh in exchange for the release of the man’s truck seized last week for overloading.
WHAT WE KNOW
In the early hours of Sunday, 6 October, Pushpendra was killed in an alleged police encounter, hours after he allegedly fired a shot at the SHO who had seized Pushpendra's truck around a week ago.
The SHO was then admitted to the district hospital and is now out of danger.
The family members have been sitting in protest after Pushpendra's death. They have questioned the police's version and termed the encounter a "cold-blooded murder," reported The Hindu.
An FIR was registered earlier against Pushpendra, his brother Ravinder and cousin Vipin for allegedly firing at Moth police station SHO Dharmdender Chauhan for seizing Pushpendra's truck.
WHAT IS THE FAMILY SAYING?
Pushpendra’s brother Ravinder Yadav, on Wednesday, asserted that he was in Delhi at the time of the encounter. In fact, he said that he was completing a 10-hour shift at the JLN Stadium metro station as a DMRC employee.
Earlier, Ravinder claimed, "This is a murder. They shot him on the spot. He didn't even own a country-pistol or had any criminal case against him."
Pushpendra’s wife alleged that the police were extorting money from him for his seized truck and that he had already paid them Rs 1.5 lakh.
Narrating the incident, his father said, "On the night of Saturday my son left the house around 9 pm after getting a call from the inspector. He informed his mother that the SHO has called him to talk about the release of the truck and he is going to meet him. A sum of Rs 1.50 lakh was demanded from us and Rs 1 lakh was already paid to the SHO by us.”
"However, after taking Rs 1 lakh he started saying that a challan has been issued on the truck and he cannot release it. Some argument took place between the SHO and Pushpendra over returning the money if the truck cannot be released and SHO shot him,” he claimed, according to The Indian Express.
The family had then refused to take Pushpendra’s body unless an FIR for murder was registered against the SHO.
THE POLICE'S VIEW
The senior police officers have, however, refused to get a new FIR registered against the policeman and added that the application given to them by the man's family and the points raised in it, will be included in the police investigation in connection to the FIR registered against Pushpendra and his associate following the encounter.
According to the police, the SHO, on 29 September, seized a truck belonging to Pushpendra in an alleged illegal mining case.
On 5 October, Chauhan who was returning to Jhansi from Kanpur, received a call from Pushpendra regarding his truck. Chauhan then reached Bamrauli intersection to meet him, who then allegedly shot at the officer as soon as he rolled down his window pane.
Jhansi SSP Om Prakash Singh added that the bullet grazed Chauhan’s chin, adding that the attackers drove away from the scene in his car but left behind their motorcycle for unknown reasons.
Jhansi police also tweeted a copy of crimes attributed to Pushpendra. The charges include misbehavior, death threats, an attempt to run away with a villager's daughter among others.
AKHILESH, BJP TRADE BARBS AFTER HIS VISIT
After visiting Pushpendra’s family, Akhilesh lashed out at the BJP government, saying that he has no trust in the state police and the administration.
“Not much should be expected from the police force of a state where the chief minister openly asks them to thok dalo (shoot) those taking law in their own hands,” he said, reported PTI.
“I have no faith in the police and administration of the state,” said Akhilesh. The BJP hit back at him, saying he is more concerned about sand mining mafia and his caste arithmetic.
“It was an encounter but Akhilesh has to go to the person's house because he is in love with the sand mining mafia and has to take care of caste equation. But he does not care how the sand mining mafia should be eradicated. This is precisely why he was thrown out by the people in elections,” said senior BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh, reported PTI.
SP Rajya Sabha MP Chandrapal Singh Yadav, who first raised the matter, has also demanded a CBI inquiry or a probe under a judge, terming the incident to be a “fake encounter.”
Chandrapal said he had "solid information" that the police first committed the murder and then fabricated the story of the shooting and stolen vehicle to cover it up.
(With inputs from PTI, The Indian Express, The Hindu)
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