Charges under NSA, Gangster Act will be slapped on accused, say police

Ballia (UP): Those accused in the killing of a 46-year-old man at a meeting attended by senior administration and police officials here will be charged under the National Security Act and the Gangster Act, police said on Saturday, as the hunt continued for the local BJP leader who allegedly shot the man dead. Eight people have been named accused in the incident on Thursday. While police is on the lookout for six people, including local BJP leader Dhirendra Pratap Singh, two have been arrested.

Police have detained five others in the case.

Besides the eight accused, the FIR also mentions 20-25 unnamed accused of which three people who were later identified as Munna Yadav, Raj Pratap Yadav and Rajan Tewari were arrested on Saturday, Additional SP Sanjay Yadav said. DIG (Azamgarh Range) Subhash Chandra Dubey has announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 on information leading to the arrest of each of the accused.

"A cash reward of Rs 50,000 has been announced on each of the absconding accused. Action will also be initiated under the National Security Act (NSA) and the Gangster Act against the accused, he said.

Under the NSA, one can be detained without a charge for up to 12 months if the authorities are satisfied that the person is a threat to national security or law and order. Under Section 14 of the Gangster Act, a district magistrate can order attachment of a property, whether movable or immovable, if there is reason to believe that it has been acquired by a gangster as commission for an offence triable under this law.

BJP leader Dhirendra Pratap Singh allegedly shot dead Jai Prakash on Thursday as a fracas broke out at the meeting at Durjanpur village in the Reoti Police Station area of the district over allotment of ration shops.

Accused Singh, in a video that has gone viral on social media, blamed the SDM, CO and police of ignoring his request to deploy police personnel during the meeting and claimed that one of his family members died in the incident while eight were injured. Singh also said that he served the Army for 18 years and that day he only tried to save his family as he saw his 80-year-old father and sister-in-law being attacked in presence of administration officials.