Roorkee villagers pelt stones, clash with police over Dalit man’s death, section 144 imposed

A clash broke out between locals in Uttarakhand’s Roorkee village and the policemen over the alleged murder of a Dalit man in Belra village. The clash took a violent turn as locals pelted stones while, in retaliation, tear gas shells were fired by the cops. Section 144 has been imposed in the area.

By India Today News Desk: Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC were imposed in Uttarakhand’s Roorkee after a clash between locals and police over the alleged murder of a Dalit man turned violent on Monday evening.

Stones were pelted at the police teams, injuring several cops.

The clash broke out in Belra village after the man was found dead under suspicious circumstances.

The family of the deceased alleged that some individuals from the same village thrashed him and also attempted to run a tractor over him, leading to his death.

Angered by the incident, the family members of the deceased had gathered at the police station in the morning.

Later in the day, they placed the deceased’s body on the highway, attempting to block the traffic. Following instructions from SSP Ajit Singh, when police officials tried to pacify the situation, locals pelted stones at them, leaving several cops injured.

The injured police officers are currently receiving treatment at government hospitals, while the critically wounded were shifted to a higher medical center.

Upon receiving information about the incident, District Magistrate Dheeraj Singh Gabryal and SSP Ajit Singh rushed to the scene with a heavy police force to bring the situation under control.

The matter escalated as villagers continued to pelt stones while, in retaliation, tear gas shells were fired by the police.

“A case of dispute between two parties. We had assured them that appropriate action would be taken against the accused but they refused to listen,” Singh said.

It seems there was already a conspiracy to disturb the peace in the village, as several motorcycles with non-local registration numbers were spotted in the area. A dozen individuals involved in creating unrest were taken into custody, while others were being identified and detained, he added.

Meanwhile, DM Haridwar Dheeraj Singh Gabryal said, “Yesterday, a young man died after being crushed under a tractor. After this, the relatives wanted to file a case under Section 302, but the police told them that a case cannot be registered under Section 302 and but will be registered under appropriate sections. Angered, they pelted stones at the police.

Section 144 has been imposed in all the villages within a radius of 10 km. The situation is currently peaceful, he added.

Courtesy : India Today

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