Nineteen people have been arrested and several others detained in connection with the violence that broke out in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district on Saturday.
Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh, in a tweet, clarified that the deceased policeman, Suresh Pratap Singh Vats, was a head constable.
"The death of head constable Suresh Pratap Singh Vats in Ghazipur in stone pelting is extremely tragic. So far 19 accused in 3 cases have been arrested, which include 11 in the case of murder. Strict action will be taken against those involved in violence under stringent sections of law (sic)," the DGP said in a tweet.
Speaking to news agency ANI, ADG Varanasi zone, PV Rama Sastry said; "32 people have been named in the FIR. Around 70-80 unnamed persons also mentioned in the FIR".
The constable Suresh Vats (48) was killed on Saturday when protesters hurled stones at vehicles returning from the venue of a public meeting addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was hit on the head by a stone when he went to end a traffic jam caused by the protests.
According to Superintendent of Police (Ghazipur) Yashveer Singh, the protesters were workers from the Rashtriya Nishad Party who were prevented by the administration and the police from going to the rally venue.
"When the prime minister had left Ghazipur, the party workers blocked traffic at various places and started pelting stones on the vehicles returning from the programme venue," he told PTI on Saturday.
The police are trying to identify other protesters through the video footage of the incident.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a compensation of Rs 40 lakh for the wife of the dead constable and Rs 10 lakh for his parents, the state has government said.
Adityanath also directed the district magistrate and the superintendent of police to take strict action against unruly elements and arrest them immediately.
Meanwhile, the son of constable Vats slammed the UP Police and held the 'dysfunctional' police force responsible for his father's death.
Lashing out at the state police, VK Singh told news agency ANI; "if the police are not able to protect its co-workers then what sought of a protection a common man should expect from them".
He further said that by merely giving compensation or providing a government job to the kin of the deceased is not going to curb the problems of crime, violence. "Earlier, similar incidents took place in Bulandshahr and Pratapgarh. How can the government compensate for the lost lives?", he questioned.
The latest incident comes nearly a month after the killing of Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Bulandshahr district. He was shot dead during a mob violence over alleged cow slaughter. The man who allegedly shot the Bulandshahr inspector was arrested last week.
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