Police registered an FIR against over 24 people including Deputy Collector Maitha, Tehsildar, Kanungo, Lekhpal, and SHO after two women died during an anti-encroachment drive in a village in Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
A case of murder and attempt to murder has also been lodged against more than a dozen unknown people, said sources.
Tense situation in Kanpur Dehat
Following the deaths, there's tension in the area between the villagers and the police. Villagers threw bricks at the policemen, who left the spot after the incident. The villagers were demanding action against the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Maitha) Gyaneshwar Prasad, Lekhpal Singh and others for the alleged murder.
After a tragic incident in which a 45-year-old woman and her 20-year-old daughter allegedly died after they immolated themselves during the anti-encroachment drive.
Pramila Dixit (45) and her daughter Neha (20) allegedly took the extreme step in the presence of police, district administration and revenue officials, who had gone to Madauli village in the Rura area of the district to remove encroachments from a "gram samaj" land, a police official said.
Rura Station House Officer (SHO) Dinesh Gautam and Pramila's husband, Gendan Lal, sustained burn injuries when they tried to save the victims, he added.
The aggrieved family members of the women allegedly beat up Lekhpal (revenue officer) Ashok Singh, following which the anti-encroachment team members fled the spot.
The victims' family members also put forward their demand before District Magistrate (DM) Neha Jain and Superintendent of Police (SP) BBGTS Murthy for the registration of an FIR against Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Maitha) Gyaneshwar Prasad, Lekhpal Singh and others.
Additional Director General of Police (Kanpur zone) Alok Singh, along with Divisional Commissioner Raj Shekhar, visited the village.
Officials said locals had made a complaint to the DM against Lal for "encroaching" the "gram samaj" land.
The SP said officials had gone to the village to carry out an anti-encroachment drive when the mother-daughter duo immolated themselves inside their hut.
"We have reached the spot and a probe is on," the officer said.
SP targets Yogi government
Reacting to the incident, the Samajwadi Party (SP) blamed the "insensitive" administration for the "murders".
"Under the Yogi (Adityanath) government, Brahmin families are targeted and such incidents are taking place selectively. Like Dalits and backwards, Brahmins are also a target of atrocities of the Yogi government," the opposition party said in a tweet in Hindi.
(Reported by Gyanendra Shukl & PTI input)
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