Three days after a 46-year-old man named Jai Prakash was shot dead at a meeting in Ballia in Uttar Pradesh over allotment of ration shops, the Uttar Pradesh police have nabbed the primary accused in the case.
The main accused, identified as Dhirendra Pratap Singh, was apprehended by the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh police from Polytechnic Crossing in Ghazipur in Lucknow. The cops had arrested two of his accomplices, namely, Santosh Yadav and Marajeet Yadav, from Vaishali area of Ballia and also recovered arms from them. Till now, the police have arrested a total of 10 people in connection with the case.
Dhirendra Pratap Singh was affiliated with the local BJP unit. He had been absconding since the firing incident and was hiding in Lucknow. Reportedly, he had reached out to several political leaders and had decided to surrender. However, he was arrested by the STF before he could execute his plans.
Main accused of 15th Oct Ballia incident Dhirendra Singh, who was carrying a reward of Rs 50000, was arrested by UP Police STF from Polytechnic Crossing in Ghazipur, Lucknow. He is being questioned & strict action will be taken against him: Prashant Kumar, ADG (Law & Order), UP https://t.co/WaR8i7TKxS pic.twitter.com/CAYUR8gxdy
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 18, 2020
Dhirendra Singh interrogated by the police
IG STF Amitabh Yash informed, “Dhirendra Singh and his accomplices were arrested from Lucknow today. They’re being questioned at an undisclosed location. Arms recovered from the possession of his accomplices. the STF is gathering more information on the weapons used at the time of the incident.” While speaking on the major breakthrough, Assistant Director-General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar stated that Dhirendra Pratap Singh is being interrogated and strict action would be taken against him.
The background of the Balia firing case
As per reports, four groups had filed applications for allotment of ration shops in Hanumanganj and Durjanpur villages. However, a situation arose when the matter had to be resolved through voting between two groups, namely, Maa Sare Jagdamba and Shiv Shakti Swayam Sanstha.
Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Suresh Chandra Pal and Circle Officer (CO) Chandradrakesh Singh, who were present during the meeting, said that only those with Aadhar or government ID cards could vote. This created an outrage among some groups as they were not carrying any ID proof. Following public outcry, the elections were postponed. When the administrative officials left for Baria, one group began sloganeering against the administration. The tension between the two groups soon escalated, leading to stone pelting, physical assault and trading bullets. Meanwhile, one Jai Prakash (46) was shot four times, allegedly by BJP leader Dhirendra Pratap Singh.
UP Police to invoke NSA, Gangster Act against accused
While speaking on the development, DIG (Azamgarh Range) Subhash Chandra Dubey informed cash reward and the nature of the charges against the accused. “A cash reward of Rs 50,000 has been announced on each of the absconding accused. Action will also be initiated under the National Security Act (NSA) and the Gangster Act against the accused,” he stated.
