By Maktoob
A Muslim man accused in the murder of a Hindu priest in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district was killed in an alleged police encounter on Monday, another such incident that comes amid growing scrutiny of the state’s encounter practices, which critics say bypass due process and constitutional safeguards.
The deceased, identified as Israyil alias Ijrail, was wanted in connection with the killing of Milan Das, a priest who was overseeing the construction of a Shiva temple in Purvi Tola village.
Police had announced a reward of ₹1 lakh for information leading to his arrest.
According to police, Das was taken to a local ahaata (walled sitting area) on the day of the incident, where an argument allegedly broke out between him and Israyil.
According to a statement issued by Unnao Police, a joint team of Bangarmau Police and the Special Operations Group (SOG) was conducting checks on the Agra Expressway service road at around 3.40 am on June 15 when it received information that Israyil alias Ijrail, a wanted accused carrying a ₹1 lakh reward in the murder of Baba Milan Das, was waiting near the Tajpur underpass.
Police said they reached the spot and “surrounded Israyil and asked him to surrender”, but alleged that he “opened fire on the police team” instead.
The statement claimed that “one bullet struck the bulletproof jacket of Sub-Inspector Newton Kumar Singh” while “another bullet hit SOG constable Vikas Bhadauriya in the hand”, causing a firearm injury.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.