Gonda (UP), Sep 11: Days after a trader was killed here following a dispute over social media posts, protesters on Friday demanded the death penalty for the accused, demolition of their houses, Rs 5 crore compensation for the family, a government job for one member, and security for the bereaved family.
Uttar Pradesh minister and Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad led the protest at the district headquarters. The victim's family and villagers staged a separate protest with the body of trader Vinod Kumar Sahani in Reksadiya village, also demanding stringent action against the police personnel responsible for negligence in handling the case.
Sahani, a 45-year-old utensils trader from Reksadiya village, was allegedly intercepted and attacked by a group of men on Wednesday evening following a dispute over social media posts. Police said he was seriously injured and died during treatment at a Lucknow hospital on Thursday.
On Friday morning, many people gathered in Reksadiya village under Paraspur police station. The villagers initially protested there and later moved towards the Chachri-Paraspur road with the body, but police stopped them. They took the body to Shahpur market and placed it on the road.
The protests came a day after three police personnel, including the Paraspur station house officer, were suspended for alleged negligence and dereliction of duty in connection with Sahani's murder. The administration suspended Paraspur SHO Sub-Inspector Kamala Shankar Chaturvedi, Shahpur outpost in-charge Sub-Inspector Ankit Singh and constable Abhimanyu Bharti. It also ordered a departmental.
Security was stepped up across Gonda, with police personnel from Paraspur, Tarabganj, Nawabganj and Colonelganj police stations deployed in the area under the supervision of ASP (West) Radheshyam Rai. Barricades were erected on roads leading to Colonelganj village.
Police said security was increased at the collectorate, the district magistrate's residence, the SP's office and the circuit house.
Nishad, who travelled from Lucknow to Gonda by road, reached the circuit house and expressed displeasure over the heavy police deployment. He said police force should instead be deployed at the accused's house to prevent any untoward incident, including arson.
He later held a closed-door meeting with District Magistrate Priyanka Niranjan and Superintendent of Police Abhishek. After the meeting, Nishad walked nearly a kilometre from the circuit house to the collectorate along with party workers. The protesters raised slogans against the police administration and demanded the death penalty for Sahani's killers.
Nishad then joined the protesters on the road outside the collectorate. The DM and SP reached the spot. Niranjan said the incident was extremely unfortunate and assured the family that action would be taken under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's zero-tolerance policy if any injustice had been committed.
He assured that all possible assistance would be provided to the family and no guilty person would be spared. Police have arrested three accused: Shubham Singh alias Golu, Subhash Singh and Akash Singh.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav spoke with Sahani's son Raja Sahani over the phone and offered his condolences. Former minister Yogesh Pratap Singh and SP leader Kajal Nishad also visited the bereaved family. Congress leader Triloki Nath Tiwari and SP state secretary Digvijay Singh were among those who participated in the protest.
