Azamgarh/Lucknow, July 20: In a major conflagration, hordes of people set fire to a police station in Jeeyanpur and several police vehicles in Azamgarh district, after a former BSP MLA Sarvesh Singh was shot dead alongwith his supporter.
Police had to resort to firing to control unruly mobs that went on the rampage. Two persons were killed in police firing.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav ordered the suspension of local Station Officer Vijay Singh. He has been detained by police, and two FIRs of conspiracy and firing have been lodged against him.
As irate BSP supporters kept the ex-MLA and three others' bodies in public and prevented police from taking them for final rites, senior UP police officials were rushed in. Late at night, the sit-in was called off and all the four bodies were taken to hospital for post mortem, under orders from the Chief Minister's office.
The two killed in police firing are, Chandrabhan chaubey who died in a Varanasi hospital, and Jitendra Gupta, a local businessman hit by a police bullet.
Sarvesh Singh was shot dead on Friday morning alongwith a supporter outside his house in Jeeyanpur. He was reading the morning newspaper with a supporter sitting by his side, when three youths on a motorbike came, greeted him with namaskar and then fired at both pointblank.
Hundreds of supporters of Sarvesh Singh took to the streets screaming anti-government slogans, attacking police posts and setting fire to scores of vehicles following the killing of Sarvesh Singh.
Sarvesh Singh's supporters had a different version. They blamed the police for the murder, saying a police inspector had summoned him to a police station and Sarvesh Singh was shot dead while returning home.
As tension spread, worried traders downed their shutters in the town.
Unable to control the mobs, police fired at the crowd, killing a businessman, Jitendra Gupta, officials said. Two civilians, including a journalist were injured.
A dozen policemen have also been reportedly injured in brickbatting.
Sarvesh Singh was a Samajwadi Party legislator in 2007 but quit the party when Amar Singh was expelled. His father Ram Pyare Singh was a minister in the former Mulayam Singh Yadav government.
BSP leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui told IANS that the "worst fears" of his party were turning true.
"Our party leader Mayawati has said that criminals are ruling the roost in the state and that nobody is safe," he said.
