UP Bar Council Chief Cremated, CM Yogi Promises Security in Courts

Akhilesh Yadav rushed to the deceased’s village to pay tributes and described the killing as “extremely saddening”.

UP President of Bar Council Darvesh Yadav was shot dead in Agra.

(Photo Courtesy: Adv Darvesh Yadav/Facebook)

Uttar Pradesh Bar Council president Darvesh Singh Yadav, who was shot dead by a lawyer on the Agra court premises on Wednesday, 12 June, was cremated at her native village of Chaandpur in Etah district on Thursday, even as her killing acquired a political colour with the opposition Congress and Samajwadi Party raising the issue of "poor" law and order and "jungle raj" in the state.

Uttar Pradesh Law Minister Brijesh Pathak attended the funeral, besides a large number of lawyers and members of the public, reported PTI.

Govt Committed to Providing Security on Court Premises: Yogi Adityanath

Following Yadav's killing inside the Agra court complex, the state government said it was committed to providing adequate security on the high court and district court premises.

In a statement issued in Lucknow on Wednesday night, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said:

“Along with the Bar Council, the Bar Association and the judiciary, the state government is committed to providing adequate security on the premises of the high court and the district court.”

Yogi Adityanath

He said clear-cut instructions in this regard were given to the state chief secretary and director general of police (DGP).

"The government will take effective steps, keeping in mind all the parameters of security," the chief minister said.

He expressed grief over the demise of the newly-elected UP Bar Council president and conveyed his condolence to the members of the bereaved family and legal fraternity.

Meanwhile, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav rushed to the deceased's village to pay his tributes and described the killing as "extremely saddening" and "one that cannot be imagined".

“One cannot bank on this government for justice. I want to meet the governor and raise the issue of poor law and order in UP since they (BJP) raise the issue in West Bengal. You tell me, what is the condition of law and order in the state? They (BJP) want to bring down the government in West Bengal. What is the governor (of UP) doing?...Should the government (of UP) not be dismissed?”

Akhilesh Yadav, as quoted by PTI

Not Much Difference Between Jungle Rule & UP Law and Order: Congress

The Congress too lashed out at the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday over the killing of the state Bar Council president, saying that there isn’t much of a difference between a “jungle rule” and the law and order in the BJP-ruled state.

“Right under the nose of Ajay Singh Bisht's (Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath) government in UP, the bar council's first woman president was shot dead. There is not much of a difference left between a jungle rule and the law and order system in BJP-ruled UP,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted in Hindi.

What We Know So Far

Agra City Additional Superintendent of Police Praveen Verma had said Darvesh Yadav was shot by an advocate named Manish Sharma, who had been her long-time acquaintance.

Yadav was shot thrice in the court premises. She was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

“After spraying three bullets on her, Sharma also shot himself,” ASP Verma told PTI.

“Sharma is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital and is in a critical condition,” he had said on Wednesday.

Verma said the pistol used by Sharma is a licensed weapon, and police have taken possession of it.

Meanwhile, work in courts across western Uttar Pradesh came to a standstill on Thursday, as lawyers protest the killing of the state bar council chief.

Muzaffarnagar district bar association President Syed Naseer Haider said the incident was condemned by lawyers in a condolence meeting. The call for the boycott was given by the state bar council.

Judicial work was affected in Baghpat, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Saharanpur and Shamli districts.

Yadav was the first woman to be the president of UP Bar Council, and was elected just three days ago on 10 June.

Yadav had come on her first visit to the Civil Court after her election, ASP Verma had said, quoting eyewitnesses.

At the ceremony in her honour, Sharma suddenly got up and opened fire at her. Before anyone could react, he shot himself too, police said.

Yadav's body has been sent for a post mortem.

The Bar Council of India had also condemned Yadav’s murder and demanded security for its members along with minimum compensation of Rs 50 lakh from the UP government to her family.

The Bar Council of India issued the following statement:

(Photo: The Quint)

(With inputs from PTI, ANI, & IANS)