Deoria, Oct 5 Four more persons, accused in the October 2 carnage in Uttar Pardesh's Deoria, have been taken into custody taking the number of arrests to 20.
On Monday, six people, including two women, were killed in violence over a land dispute in Fatehpur village, 20 km from the district headquarters. Five of the deceased were from the same family.
Police said that it was an intimidating taunt by Satya Prakash Dubey, 55, that enraged Prem Yadav, 45, which ultimately led to the bloodbath in which six people were killed, including Yadav, Dubey and four members of his family.
Next day, FIRs were registered by both the families. Dubey’s daughter Shobhita had accused 27 named and 50 unidentified people in the murder of her parents and siblings, while Yadav’s uncle had named five slain members of Dubey’s family in the case. Police had arrested 16 people.
On Wednesday, four more people named in the FIR by Shobhita were arrested. Those arrested were Ramayan Pal, Raghuvir Pal, Sudama Pal and Sugrim Pal, all from the same family. The police said they were arrested because their location was found to be near the victim’s house.
Superintendent of Police, Deoria, Sankalp Sharma said that the accused, who used a weapon to open fire on Satya Prakash Dubey, is still elusive.
Police are now of the view that more than one person was involved in the murder of Prem Yadav because of the gruesome way he was murdered.
Similarly, those who killed Dubey were using a firearm and appeared to be professionals. The police are now tracking down those behind this killing as well, other than those named in FIR. A team of two PAC companies and district police continues to remain deployed in the village.
After the carnage in Fatehpur village of Deoria, the administration had received information that Prem Yadav’s house was built on gram sabha land. A team of the revenue department conducted a measurement of the same leading to widespread speculation of the property to be razed.
Meanwhile, the absence of Sadhu Dubey, also known as Gyan Prakash Dubey, who had sold the disputed property to Prem Chand Yadav without family approval, remains a mystery.
Sudhir Pandey, the brother-in-law of the deceased Satya Prakash Dubey, raised questions about Sadhu Dubey’s whereabouts and demanded his location be traced.
According to Sudhir Pandey, Sadhu Dubey was mentally challenged and worked as a servant in Prem Chand Yadav’s house, tending to cattle and performing odd jobs. It was Sadhu who sold his property in 2014 and shifted to Gujarat for a few years. Later, his elder brother Satya Prakash Dubey filed a civil suit against the sale of the property, said Sudhir.
Sudhir Pandey also called upon the state government to provide support to the surviving sons of Satya Prakash Dubey.
Sheila Yadav, the wife of Prem Chand Yadav, however, has denied the claim that Sadhu is mentally challenged. She also revealed that her husband entered politics in 2007 and had even secured his mother’s election as the village head in 2010. Gradually, he gained local popularity and influence, eventually becoming a Zila Panchayat Member in Deoria in 2015. Subsequently, he ventured into real estate as a profession.
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