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Tension gripped Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh after 26-year-old Sachin Walia, the brother of Bhim Army’s regional head Kamal Walia, was shot dead on Maharana Pratap Jayanti on Wednesday, 9 May. The police have booked four men upon the victim’s mother’s written complaint, but are yet to frame charges against the accused.
The police have also hinted, without confirmation, that this may be a case of accidental death.
Bhim Army representatives told The Quint that they had repeatedly written to authorities asking them not to give permission to the Rajputs to carry out a procession in the area, but their request fell on deaf ears. Robin Gautam, a member of the Bhim Army, said they were skeptical of a celebration as they felt Rajputs would “behave like goons,” which could result in an untoward incident.
“We wrote to the district magistrate and senior superintendent of police (SSP) and insisted that permission not be given. I will not blame the Rajputs for Walia’s death; this is the fault of the administration who gave permission for carrying out a rally in a conflicted area. They are to blame,” a weeping Gautam said.
Around a year ago in May 2017, a similar dispute had sprouted in Shabbirpur village where Dalits had objected to Rajputs carrying out a procession on Maharana Pratap Jayanti. The tension snowballed into clashes. One Dalit man died, 55 Dalit homes were burnt, and several others were injured.
When The Quint asked Superintendent of Police (city) Prabap Pratap Singh why permission for the Rajput rally was granted, he said, “This event is being organised since the last three to four years. It is an annual event and it had to be conducted. Hence, the permission was granted.”
While clarifying that no violent clashes had taken place between the two communities, the police are clueless how Walia was killed.
Speaking to The Quint, Babloo Kumar, Saharanpur Senior Superintendent of Police, said:
Prabal Pratap Singh expressed surprise over the incident too. “There was strong security presence across Saharanpur district since morning. There were checkpoints where people were being frisked to ensure no one carried weapons or batons. There was a picket right where the incident took place. I am yet to understand myself how this happened,” he said, adding that they are investigating the matter.
Reacting to media reports of Walia having killed himself accidentally while he was cleaning a firearm, Babloo Kumar told The Quint: “No, I didn’t say that. The investigation is under way and currently there isn’t conclusive proof or evidence to say that it was an accidental death. Once the investigation is complete, everyone will know.”
However, off the record, police officials hinted that the incident could be an accident case.
Robin Gautam, who said he was one of the last persons to see Walia alive moments before his death, told The Quint the he and Walia were having tea with two intelligence officials at his home in Ramnagar.
A crowd of at least 400 people gathered outside the district hospital where Walia was rushed to, and raised slogans demanding that perpetrators behind the crime be hanged. The family has submitted a written complaint to the police.
Reacting to Walia’s death, Amnesty International India called for the Uttar Pradesh government to investigate whether it was an instance of hate crime.
(With inputs from PTI)
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