Days after a 22-year-old man was killed in communal clashes in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich, two out of five accused in the case suffered injuries in police encounter on Thursday, 17 October.
“Five accused were arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of Gopal Mishra. Two of them, namely Sarfaraz and Taleem were trying to escape the police near Nanpara Police Station area. Both of them were shot in the leg during an encounter with the police,” Bahraich Superintendent of Police (SP), Vrinda Shukla told The Quint.
The accused are currently undergoing treatment at a civil hospital in Bahraich.
“The accused suffered injuries in their legs and are currently in stable condition,” the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at the hospital told reporters on Thursday.
The Killing of Gopal Mishra
Violence broke out in Bahraich on 13 October after Gopal Mishra, 22, was shot dead during a Durga idol immersion procession.
The altercation was reportedly triggered after some Muslims objected to music being played in the procession, The Indian Express quoted police officials as saying. A video widely shared on social media purportedly showed Mishra removing a green flag from a building and replacing it with a saffron flag during the procession.
So far, 55 people have been arrested in 11 separate cases filed after the incident. Mobile internet and broadband services also remained suspended for three days.
This story was originally published in thequint.com.