Bahraich violence: 5 suspects held after encounter with UP cops, 2 suffer gunshot injuries
Bahraich (UP), Oct 17: Five suspects in the killing of a man that triggered violence in Bahraich were arrested here Thursday after an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police in which two of them suffered gunshot injuries, a senior official said.
The accused were allegedly trying to flee to Nepal, which shares a border with Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh, the officer said.
"Five accused have been arrested," Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash told a news channel.
On the encounter, he said, "I have information of exchange of fire and gunshot injuries."
Yash, who is also the chief of the Special Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh Police, said the Bahraich police, investigating the murder and subsequent violence, has already established the link of one of the accused in Nepal.
The condition of the duo is stated to be stable.
Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar said those arrested have been identified as Mohammad Faheen, Mohammad Sarfaraz and Abdul Hameed, who are named accused in the FIR -- and two others Mohammad Taleem alias Sabloo and Mohammad Afzal.
According to Kumar, a police team arrested Faheen and Taleem. Acting on the information given by the duo, the team went to recover the weapon used in the murder in the Nanpara area of the district, however, it came under fire from Hameed, Sarfaraz and Afzal. In retaliatory firing, Sarfaraz and Taleem were seriously injured.
"They are being treated. The weapon used in the murder has been recovered," the UP Police chief said in a statement.
A doctor at a local health care centre said, "Two people were brought here around 2.35 pm. One of them was named Sarfaraz and the other Taleem. One of them had injuries on his left leg and the other on his right leg."
"The bullets are still inside their bodies. I have referred them to the district hospital in Bahraich for X-ray and further management. Both are in normal condition," he told reporters.
Violence broke out at Maharajganj in the Mahsi tehsil of Bahraich district on Sunday allegedly over loud music being played outside a place of worship during a Durga Puja immersion procession.
A local, Ram Gopal Mishra, 22, part of the passing group, died of gunshot wounds in the ensuing violence, triggering vandalism and arson in the area with mobs torching several houses, shops, showrooms, hospitals and vehicles.
Meanwhile, Rukhsar, the daughter of accused Abdul Hameed, the landlord accused of firing at Mishra, said, "At around 4 pm yesterday, my father and two brothers, Sarfaraz and Faheem, and another youth were picked up by the UP STF."
"My husband and brother-in-law have already been picked up. There is no news of them. We fear that they may have been killed in an encounter," she claimed in a video.
Shortly after the encounter, the Samajwadi Party took to social media citing "rampant crimes" in the state and questioned if "riots and encounters" were being staged to divert people's attention from law and order issues.
"Crimes are rampant in the BJP-Yogi government, jewelery of women, sisters and daughters is being stolen and snatched. Are riots being instigated to divert public attention from these crimes and are encounters being carried out to hush the matter?" the SP's media cell posted on X.
It also attached a clip of a Hindi news article with the headline: "Chain looted from a medicine trader by goons near a state minister's house in Muzaffarnagar".
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8 coaches of Agartala-Lokmanya Terminus Express derail in Assam's Dima Hasao
Guwahati, Oct 17: Eight coaches of the Agartala-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express derailed at Dibalong station in Assam's Dima Hasao district on Thursday afternoon, Northeast Frontier Railway officials said.
There were no reports of any fatality or major injuries, they said.
“No major casualty or injury and all passengers are safe. We are coordinating with railway authorities and a relief train will shortly reach the site,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on X.
The derailed coaches include the power car and the engine of the train.
An accident relief medical train has already left for the site from Lumding along with senior officers to supervise the rescue and restoration work, the officials said.
The cause of the derailment, which occurred at 3.55 pm, was ''being investigated and it will take some time to be ascertained'', an NF Railway spokesperson told PTI.
The passengers of the train will be shifted to a separate rake and transported to the next station, he said.
Restoration work was likely to take time due to the hilly and difficult terrain of the section, the spokesperson said.
Running of trains on the Lumding-Badarpur single-line hill section has been suspended, the officials said.
The railway authorities have also opened helpline numbers at Lumding.
Following the derailment, the NF Railway cancelled the Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri special train and Rangiya-Silchar-Rangiya Express on Thursday along with both the corresponding trains on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Agartala-Firozpur Cantt Express has been short-terminated at Badarpur, the Sabroom-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express at Maibong and the Dullabcherra-Guwahati Express at New Haflong.
The Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri Special and Agartala-Guwahati Summer Special will also remain cancelled on Thursday, while the New Jalpaiguri-Guwahati Special, Guwahati-Agartala Summer Special, Kamakhya-Anand Vihar Terminal Special and Silchar-Guwahati Silchar Express have been cancelled on Friday, an NF Railway bulletin said.
Among other changes, the Silchar-Thiruvananthapuram Express, scheduled to leave on Thursday, has been rescheduled to leave at 6 am hours on Friday, while the SMVT Bengaluru-Agartala Humsafar Express, which began its journey on October 15, will be regulated suitably, it said.
8 coaches of Train 12520 Agartala –LTT Express derailed at Dibalong station near Lumding at 15:55 Hrs today. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 17, 2024
We are coordinating railway authorities…
