By IANS,
Ghaziabad: The Uttar Pradesh government Tuesday suspended 10 policemen and registered criminal cases against seven of them for opening fire “accidentally” on a group of alleged gamblers in Ghaziabad that led to the death of one man and triggered a violent backlash by angry locals Monday night.
In the Monday night violence, angry residents set a police station on fire, injured about two dozen policemen, damaged half a dozen public and private vehicles including the official Gypsy vahicle of a sub divisional magistrate and two state roadways buses and blocked traffic movement on National Highway 24, that leads to Lucknow.
The incident occurred in the Simbhaoli police station area in Ghaziabad district of western Uttar Pradesh.
Confirming the action, Additional Director General (ADG) of state police (Law and Order) A.K. Jain said on phone from Lucknow that police had also registered a criminal case against the rioters.
A criminal case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the police team that raided the gambling site in Simbhaoli. They have been suspended along with other senior police officials, he said.
“The action has been initiated after it was found that the police were at fault when dealing with the men,” he said. The police team had opened fire on a group of men playing cards alongside a road in village Vat under Simbhaoli police station in Ghaziabad.
The suspended policemen include the SP Rural K.K. Asthana, who was found lax in reacting to the situation, the Circle Officer Rajpal Singh and the Station Officer.
The government has sent M.M. Beg, the new Superintendent of Police rural from Etah to control the situation.
Senior police officials, including the inspector general, the commissioner, and district magistrate Ghaziabad are camping at Simbhaoli.
The entire record room of the Simbhaoli police station has been charred. The staff of the police station fled the spot when a violent mob attacked it and set it on fire. The mob burnt two state roadway buses, two motorcycles and the sub divisional magistrate’s official jeep. The rioting engulfed a five kilometre area on NH 24 following the death of Parvez in police firing.
Senior Superintendent of Police Akhil Kumar, recounting the events, said a police patrolling party of Simbhaoli police station who were in a Gypsy noticed six men engaged in gambling. “When the gamblers noticed the police party coming towards them they attempted to flee. But the police opened fire on them due to which a gambler Parvez (30) sustained gunshot injuries,” he said.
Pervez was taken to the government hospital at Ghaziabad where he was declared dead. The district magistrate granted special permission to conduct a post mortem on the body during the night and Pervez was buried in the wee hours Tuesday under strict police security.
As news of his death spread in the area, the residents jammed vehicular movement on NH 24 and set the police station afire.
When the police and civil administration officials rushed to the spot and attempted to control the situation, a police official, Deputy Superintendent of Police Sheel Kumar was attacked and sustained critical head injuries and had to be rushed to hospital.
A mob assembled on the highway and burnt the official Gypsy vehicle of the sub divisional magistrate of Garh who was at the spot to control the situation. SDM Pushpa Devrar managed to escape. The angry mob damaged private and public vehicles that were stranded on the highway due to the jam. About 20 police personnel sustained injuries in the violence.
SSP Akhil Kumar said: “The police team opened fire accidentally. It was their mistake which led to such a situation.”