A retired police officer and his son were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Gorakhpur on Tuesday, 10 April.
As reported by Hindustan Times, the double-murder of the 60-year old ex-cop and his 25-year old son has triggered mob violence in the area, with people pelting stones at police personnel and even setting a police jeep on fire.
Along with this, they also blocked roads, demanding that the police arrest the killers.
The motive behind the murders, although not officially stated, is widely speculated to be “personal enmity”.
According to the report, the victims – Jai Hind Yadav and his son Nagendra Yadav – were on their way home on a bike, after spending several hours at a court hearing related to the suspicious murder of Jai Hind’s elder brother. The latter had reportedly been shot dead over two years ago due to “personal enmity”.
The father-son duo were intercepted by two men on a bike near Glykol Pulia. They first shot at Nagendra, who was driving the bike and then chased Jai Hind, who was trying to escape, before firing at him.
The report mentions that the duo were shot in the Gobdaur area under Jangha police station.
Police personnel had to face the wrath of the mob – made up mostly of villagers hailing from the same area – when they attempted to send the bodies for post-mortem.
According to Hindustan Times, District Magistrate Vijyendra Pandian, and Senior Superintendent of Police Shalabh Mathu, had to be accompanied by reinforcements, when they travelled to the site of the encounter.
Mathur told Hindustan Times that as a precautionary measure, Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel were deployed in the area, even though the situation is has been largely contained.
He also mentioned that investigations into the case are underway and that the police hope to catch the unidentified shooters soon.
(With inputs from Hindustan Times)
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