Uttar Pradesh: Man sprayed with bullets in presence of SDM, CO in Ballia

VARANASI: One person was sprayed with bullets by his rival during an open-air meeting to allot a fair price shop in Bairia area of Ballia district in the presence of senior officers, including the SDM and the circle officer of the area.
The accused, Dhirendra Pratap Singh, is absconding. Victim Jaiprakash Pal's son claimed that the alleged assailant was a BJP worker and a close to local party MLA Surendra Singh.The MLA denied that Dhirendra was his associate or relative but accepted that he was a BJP worker.
“People from the entire area are close to me. But, it's a fact that Dhirendra is a BJP worker,” MLA Surendra Singh told TOI.
The daylight killing sent a shock wave across the region and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath suspended Bairia SDM Suresh Kumar Pal, Bairia CO Chandrakesh Singh, station officer, Revati police station, and entire police force present at the spot, said DIG Azamgarh Range, Subhash Chandra Dubey.
Ballia police chief Devendra Singh said two groups were taking part in the fair price shop allotment process in Durjanpur village in the district on Thursday. “After a dispute cropped up, the SDM postponed the allotment process after which both the groups started leaving the venue. In the meantime some, people from the two groups clashed and indiscriminate firing started in which Jaiprakash was killed.” More details of the case are coming to light in the ongoing investigation, he added.
According to villagers, the process of allotment of the fair price shop of Durjanpur started in front of over 500 villagers after the SDM and CO reached there in the afternoon. About 50 yards away from the tents in which officials were sitting, a heated argument took place between some people after which Dhirendra opened indiscriminate fire in which Jaiprakash was killed.
The firing led to chaos and Jaiprakash was immediately rushed to a local hospital where doctors declared him 'brought dead'. His son Abhishek Kumar Pal said: “Dhirendra Singh alias Dabloo Singh talked to Revati SO and later started quarreling with my father and suddenly opened fire. He must have fired at least 25 rounds of which at least three bullets hit my father. "
The incident sent senior officials into a tizzy and district magistrate Hari Pratap Shahi and SP Devendra Nath rushed to the village.