Prayagraj Horror: Dalit Labourer Burnt To Death Over Love Triangle, Accused Face Bulldozer Action

Opposition parties have come out all guns blazing against Yogi Adityanath government over brutal murder of a Dalit youth just before the Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations.

Prayagraj: A 35-year-old Dalit labourer was allegedly murdered and his body set ablaze by a group of men following a dispute over love triangle. The incident, which occurred in Isota Lohangpur village under Karchana police station limits on April 12, has sent shockwaves in the area.

Police revealed chilling details of the murder following the arrest of eight accused including Sanjay Singh alias Sonu and Ajay Singh, both brothers, Mohit Singh, Manoj Singh, Awadhesh Singh alias DM, Dilip Singh alias Chhuttan, Vimlesh Gupta alias Baba Don and Shekhar Singh. One more accused Vinay Singh is currently on the run.

According to the police, victim Devi Shankar and one of the accused Awadhesh Singh were in love with the same woman and there was a dispute going on between both of them for quite a long time. Saturday night, Shankar was lured to a place on the pretext of casual meeting. Everyone present sat there and consumed alcohol. Suddenly, Shankar received a call from the woman, which triggered a heated argument between Shankar and Awadhesh. The altercation soon took a violent turn as Awadhesh along with seven of his accomplices strangled Shankar to death and then set his body on fire. All the accused then fled the spot.

As per Yamuna Nagar DCP Vivek Chandra, "There was a dispute over the victim talking to the woman over phone, which turned extremely violent. Eight accused have been arrested in the case. Another person is absconding. Raids are underway at various places and he will be arrested soon."

Politics Heats Up In UP

Meanwhile, the incident has triggered a massive political uproar in Uttar Pradesh, with the Opposition parties coming out all guns blazing against Yogi Adityanath government over murder of a Dalit youth just before the Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations.

After meeting the victim's family, Congress state president Ajay Rai alleged that law and order has collapsed in the state. "Goonda Raj still prevails. A girl was gang raped by 23 persons in Varanasi. A Dalit youth was burnt alive in Prayagraj. Incidents of crime continues unabated in the state. Law and order is deteriorating. People are fed up with the BJP."

Allahabad MP Ujjwal Raman Singh, who also met the bereaved family, condemned the brutal murder and said, "Congress is standing with the victim's family. The state government should run bulldozer on the houses of the accused, to give a lesson to the criminals that such crimes will not be tolerated. A strong message should be sent to the society."

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed the Yogi government and said, "The heinous crime of burning alive a Dalit youth in Prayagraj by the ruling party has proved that the unwanted patronage and arrogant attitude of the government towards its people is now making people commit murders openly. By carrying out such an incident before Baba Saheb's birth anniversary, some powerful people want to give a message of their power to the society. They are negative and tyrannical people with a sick mindset."

Meanwhile, Karchana BJP MLA Piyush Ranjan Nishad claimed that the accused persons happen to be workers of Samajwadi Party. "Pictures of the accused with SP leaders can be seen in the viral pictures on social media. Everyone is aware that the accused have ties with SP and people also know who is shielding them. Till the day of the murder of the Dalit youth, the accused had a SP flag affixed at their house," he said.

Further, the BJP MLA informed that the Dalit youth's family has received financial support from the government, along with benefits of various government schemes.

Govt Support To Victim's Family

Following the tragic incident, local district administration has offered land, housing, and financial assistance to the victim's family. Karchana SDM Tapan Mishra informed that a residential lease and a house under PM Awas Yojana are being provided.

"Four biswa land (over 5000 sq ft) has been allotted to Devi Shankar's family. Its certificate will be issued soon. A house will also be allotted on this land under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, within a week. The administration is making every possible effort to help the family. All necessary details of the family have been sent to the government for the Parivarik Sahayata Yojana," the SDM said.

As outrage continued with victim's family members seeking justice, bulldozers were brought in to demolish the houses of the accused. Though protest erupted over the decision, huge police forces were deployed to ensure that houses are completely razed to the ground.

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