UP firing key accused, kin held

Tribune News Service
Lucknow, July 18

With the arrest of the main accused, Murtiya gram panchayat pradhan Yagya Dutt, and his brother Dharmendra, the UP police have arrested 26 persons in connection with the massacre of 10 Gonds, following a dispute over 90 bighas at Umbha village in Sonbhadra yesterday.

Of the 26 injured in the firing, the condition of five is still critical. An FIR has been lodged against 27 named and 50 unidentified persons. Among those arrested are four persons from Dutt’s family, including his two nephews. The police have also taken possession of the two crime weapons.

Two years ago, Bihar IAS officer Asha Mishra and her daughter had sold 90 bighas to the gram pradhan at a throwaway price as she had never succeeded in taking possession of the land which was being tilled by the Gond community for decades. Dutt, a Gujjar whose family had settled in the area from western UP, bought the land but had also not been able to take possession.

However, according to the Gonds due to the pradhan’s criminal image, their (Gonds) complaints against him to the district and revenue officers fell on deaf ears. The pradhan along with 200 armed supporters came in 32 tractors and started tilling the land in order to take possession.

When the villagers protested, the pradhan and his men allegedly opened several rounds of fire, killing 10 Gonds.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the deceased. He has also asked Sonbhadra District Magistrate Ankit Kumar Agrawal to explain why these tribal villagers had not been issued land pattas.