(Photo: The Quint)
A Dalit youth was blown up by a bomb planted under his cot in Gopramau Panchayat of Mal area, a rural area of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh on 23 June 2022.
The victim, Shiv Kumar Rawat, worked as a labourer in Haridwar and had returned home on 22 June. He was sleeping on a cot outside his house when at around 12:55 pm, the bomb detonated.
He was rushed to the community health centre in Mal but was referred to the Lucknow trauma centre where he breathed his last.
Witnesses said that after the blast, pieces of precision, gravel, gunpowder, and clock cells were found at the scene. According to the police, it was a minor twine bomb, The Mooknayak reported.
Personal Dispute
Shiv’s father, Mevalal Rawat, a farmer by profession, registered a named First Information Report (FIR) against people belonging to the upper caste.
Rawat disclosed to The Mooknayak that he suspected Tej Bahadur Singh and Deepu Singh, who belong to the Thakur caste and live in the same village, behind the crime.
“Tej Bahadur Singh had bought land from Arjun Singh of our village. However, the payment was stopped due to a cheque bounce. I worked as a guard in Arjun Singh’s house, due to which Tej Bahadur Singh held a grudge against me,” Mevalal told The Mooknayak.
No Arrests Have Been Made Yet
The victim’s relatives alleged that the police is trying to protect the accused since no arrest has been made yet. However, the Station House Officer (SHO) told The Mooknayak that a team has been formed to investigate the incident.
“Some steel pieces have been recovered from the spot. They have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory. A case has been registered on the complaint of the victim. The officials in Malihabad are doing investigating the matter,” Inspector-in-Charge, Jai Bahadur Rai, told The Mooknayak.
Circle officer, Yogendra Singh informed The Mooknayak, “A case has been registered and Minister Kaushal Kishor had also met me regarding it. I also had a conversation with the victim’s family.”
This article first appeared on thequint.com