Month after lodging FIR under SC/ST Act, family of four shot dead in Amethi
Amethi (UP) (PTI): A government school teacher, his wife and two daughters were allegedly shot dead at their rented accommodation on Thursday, over a month after the family lodged an FIR against a man saying he would be responsible if something untoward happened to them, police said.
Superintendent of Police of Amethi Anoop Kumar Singh said it is not yet clear if the deaths are related to the case.
According to police, the deceased were identified as Sunil (35), his wife Poonam (32), Drishti (6) and his one-year-old daughter. Sunil was a native of Rae Bareli and was posted in a government school in Amethi's Panhauna.
During the initial investigation, police found that Poonam had lodged an FIR against Chandan Verma in Rae Bareli on August 18 under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and for eve-teasing, the SP said.
The complainant also mentioned that "if anything happens to her or her family", Verma should be held responsible for it, he said.
It is to yet be determined if the murders are related to the case, Singh said.
Officials of the police and education departments arrived at the spot where District Magistrate Nisha Anant and SP Anoop Singh were already present. Senior officials from Lucknow too were being rushed to Amethi.
The spot of the incident is around 60 kilometres from the district headquarters.
According to the neighbours, upon hearing loud gunshots, they reached the house to find the family dead on the back side.
The police have formed teams to probe the matter. Teams of Local Intelligence Unit and Special Operation Groups have also been pressed in to assist in the investigation, officials said.
"We are scanning the CCTV footage of cameras in the area as part of an effort to identify the assailants," an officer said.
Inspector General of Police Praveen Kumar, who reached the crime spot, told reporters that the assailants appear to be known to the deceased.
"It has been revealed in our preliminary forensic investigation of the crime scene that there is no sign of forced entry. Prima facie it appears that the assailants may have been known to the victim family," Kumar said.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the incident.
In a post in Hindi on X, he said, "The incident that happened in Amethi district today is highly condemnable and unforgivable. My condolences are with the bereaved families. In this hour of grief, UP government stands with the victim's family. The culprits of this incident will not be spared at any cost, strict legal action will be taken against them."
Meanwhile, former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, while reacting to the incident, questioned the law and order situation in the state in a cryptic post on X.
"Koi Hai? Kahin hai? (Is anyone there? Is someone anywhere?)," Yadav posted while sharing a news clip of the incident.
Congress MP from Amethi Kishori Lal Sharma also attacked the government over the murders.
"In Shivratanganj area of Amethi, miscreants barged into a house and brutally shot dead Sunil Kumar, assistant teacher in a composite school, his wife and two children. The savage criminals killed the entire family," Sharma wrote in Hindi on X.
"Hearing about this heart-rending incident sent shivers down the spine. The entire Amethi family is as upset as they are angry," he said.
"This mass murder is the result of the government's ruined law and order situation. The criminals are fearless. The police administration should immediately arrest the criminals and give them the harshest punishment," he added.
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Gujarat's Urvil Patel slams century in 28 balls, fastest T20 hundred by an Indian
Indore(PTI): Gujarat's wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel slammed the fastest T20 century by an Indian during his team's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Tripura here on Wednesday, reaching the three-figure mark in just 28 balls.
This comes exactly a year after he smashed the second-fastest hundred by an Indian in List-A cricket.
The 26-year-old Urvil bettered Rishabh Pant's record for the fastest T20 hundred by an Indian. The India wicket-keeper had blazed away to a 32-ball century against Himachal Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2018.
Urvil's ton is the second-fastest in T20 cricket, only behind Estonia's Sahil Chauhan, whose hundred against Cyprus came in 27 balls.
Opening the innings, Urvil struck seven fours and 12 sixes on his way to an unbeaten 113 off a mere 35 balls, as Gujarat completed a chase of 156 in 10.2 overs.
Earlier in the week, Urvil had gone unsold in the Indian Premier League player auction.
Exactly on this day last year, after being released by Gujarat Titans, Urvil scored an unbeaten 41-ball 100 for Gujarat in their Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh in Chandigarh.
Urvil's century was the second-fastest by an Indian batter in List A cricket.
