Clashes broke out between BJP MLA Upendra Tiwari, his supporters and the police after five cows were recovered from a vehicle on Friday.
Taking serious note of the death of a BJP supporter during a clash between party workers and police in Narhi area, the Uttar Pradesh government has suspended the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police for alleged dereliction of duty.
"Ballia District Magistrate Rakesh Kumar and SP MK Jha were suspended by the government late yesterday night," an official spokesman said here.
The trouble started after five cows were recovered from a vehicle on Friday during a routine checking, following which an FIR was registered against BJP worker Chandrama Yadav and another person. Thereafter, BJP MLA Upendra Tiwari and his supporters, including Yadav, staged a dharna in front of Narahi police station to protest the registration of the FIR, police said.
Efforts were made to pacify the MLA and his supporters but they did not relent and when police tried to evict them, they indulged in stone pelting. The police then lobbed teargas shells and fired rubber bullets to disperse the irate crowd.
District BJP chief Vinod Dubey alleged that police used batons and opened fire at the party workers, leading to the death of BJP worker Vinod Rai (38) and injury to 50 others.
Besides the BJP MLA, an FIR has been registered against 43 named persons and 300-400 unnamed persons in the incident, the spokesman said. An FIR was also registered against Ballia ADM Bache Lal Maurya, and 11 policemen including Narahi station officer Rajesh on complaint of BJP worker Gopal Rai's, he said. Sub Inspector at Nahari police station Rajesh Yadav was earlier put under suspension, he said.
Heavy police force has been deployed to bring the situation under control and a magisterial inquiry ordered into the incident.
The BJP MLA, at a press conference in Ballia, alleged that police wanted to kill him during the clash. "It was a conspiracy to kill me. SP MLC Ambika Chaudhary was behind it," he alleged and demanded that the Ballia ADM and SO of Narahi police station Rajesh Yadav be arrested immediately.
Denying allegations that he "fled away" after the clash, he said he had lost consciousness and was taken to a private hospital in Varanasi for treatment.
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