Tension flared in Mauachapi village, which lies under Pipraich Police Station limits, in the early hours of Tuesday after residents learnt about the youth’s death. Angry villagers blocked the Gorakhpur-Pipraich Road, hurled stones at police, and led traffic to a standstill
The victim was dragged into a vehicle by the smugglers. His blood-soaked body was later found 4 km away. Representational pic
A 20-year-old man lost his life after a confrontation between villagers and suspected cattle smugglers in Uttar Pradesh's Gorkhapur spiralled into violence on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the alleged smuggler has been critically injured in the incident, while some senior police officers have also been hurt in stone-pelting, news agency PTI reported.
Tension flared in Mauachapi village, which lies under Pipraich Police Station limits, in the early hours of Tuesday after residents learnt about the youth’s death. Angry villagers blocked the Gorakhpur-Pipraich Road, hurled stones at police, and led traffic to a standstill. The blockade was lifted only after five hours, following assurances from senior officials.
Late on Monday night, 10-12 smugglers arrived in two pickup vans and allegedly tried to break open a furniture shop belonging to a man named Durgesh Gupta, PTI reported. The shop's upper floor housed a travel agency where Gupta’s relative was asleep. On hearing the shutters being forced, he alerted Gupta’s son, Deepak.
Deepak rushed to the spot on a scooter, raising an alarm. Nearly 10-15 villagers followed him. Startled, the smugglers opened fire and tried to flee. In the chaos, they dragged Deepak into one of their vehicles and sped away.
Meanwhile, the villagers nabbed one smuggler, torched his vehicle, and thrashed him severely, reported PTI.
When police reached the spot and attempted to rescue the injured man, the villagers clashed pelted stones on them. Superintendent of Police (North), Jitendra Srivastava, and the Pipraich Station House Officer (SHO) suffered serious injuries in the clash.
Later, police traced Deepak's blood-soaked body around 4 km away, triggering outrage in the area.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and directed senior officers to rush to the spot, assuring that "the culprits will not be spared".
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Shiv S Channappa and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Raj Karan Nayyar met the victim's family and promised swift action.
District Magistrate Deepak Meena described the incident as "extremely tragic" and said continuous action was being taken.
"One accused has been caught. We have spoken to the family, and their demands have been discussed. Whatever assistance can be provided at both local and higher levels will be ensured. First, the post-mortem will be conducted and cremation performed, after which we will again hold talks with the family," he said.
Deepak's grieving mother broke down, demanding that her son's killers be given the death penalty. Nayyar, who camped at the site along with senior officers, said the situation was later brought under control, with Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and additional forces.
However, Gupta alleged police negligence, claiming that his son could have been saved if authorities had acted promptly. The family has demanded Rs 1-crore compensation, a government job, and strict action against both the smugglers and erring police personnel.
Nayyar said that a report on the incident was received around 3.30 am.
It has been discovered that the smugglers had arrived in two pickup vans, While one of them was able to flee the spot, Deepak had gone after the other vehicle.
"One of the people from the stuck pickup van was caught by the villagers, and he was hospitalised. The police immediately reached the spot. The youth (Deepak) received injuries to his head, apparently because of which he unfortunately died. The autopsy report will confirm it. A complaint has been received from the family, and further legal actions have been initiated," Nayyar told reporters.
He said some of the accused have been identified, and five police teams are working on the case to quickly apprehend them.
(With PTI inputs)
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