Gunshots, Violence, Wails: Videos From Sonbhadra Massacre Surface
Scenes of complete chaos, people wailing, and sounds of gunshots in these videos.
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Days after 10 tribals were shot dead and 28 were left injured in a massacre by a village headman Yagya Dutt and his men in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra, The Quint has accessed two videos that reveal the scale of the carnage.
One of the videos shows the scene of the massacre on Wednesday, 17 July, in detail. In it, a large number of people can be seen holding sticks and attacking the villagers, who are running for cover, in broad daylight. Others can be seen beating people lying on the ground.
It’s a scene of complete chaos, with shouting and gunshots in the background. Panic ensues among those watching the incident and making the video, while a woman can be heard screaming for the police.
Wailing Family Members Mourn The Dead
Another video accessed by The Quint appears to show the aftermath of the massacre, with multiple bodies lying on the ground, while family members surround them, mourning. A group of women can be seen wailing at the deaths of their children.
In the background, a man can be heard asking whether a person died after being hit with sticks or whether he was shot.
"Why didn't he run?" the man asks, only to be told that the people with guns fired shots and ran away immediately.
The people discussing the incident further name two men as the ones who were shooting, emphasising the fact that they fired shots quickly and ran away, giving no one any time to escape.
Dispute Over Land
The incident had taken place on 17 July, when the victims resisted an attempt by village headman Yagya Dutt and his supporters to take possession of 90 bighas of disputed land in Ghorawal area of Sonbhadra district.
When Dutt reached the spot with his henchmen in 10 to 12 tractors, local villagers tried to stop them from taking over the land, police said. Those accompanying him then showered a hail of bullets on villagers, all tribals, killing 10 of them.
Police on Thursday arrested Dutt, the main accused.
An FIR has been lodged against 61 people including 11 named.
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