BKU leader, son and brother shot dead in UP’s Fatehpur; police point to panchayat rivalry

Vinod and Anoop’s mother Ram Dulari is the local panchayat pradhan.

The police have detained three persons for questioning in connection with the case.

An FIR has been registered at the Hathgawan police station against former panchayat pradhan Suresh Singh, alias Mannu, his sons Piyush Singh and Bhupendra Singh and two others on the complaint of Anoop Singh’s wife Manisha Singh, it is learnt.

Bhanu Bhaskar Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Prayagraj zone, said preliminary information suggested the murders could be linked to an old dispute, but the exact motive was still under investigation.

Following the killings, the victims’ family members, along with local residents, staged a protest demanding an immediate arrest of the culprits. The protesters initially refused to allow the police to take the bodies for postmortem but the situation was later brought under control after senior officials reached the spot and assured swift action against the culprits.

In her complaint, Manisha Singh alleged that her husband Anoop, brother-in-law and nephew, who were riding a motorcycle, were stopped by the accused by placing a tractor-trolley on the road. The accused began abusing them and opened fire, she claimed. When the three tried to flee, abandoning the motorcycle behind, the assailants chased them and shot them dead, she further said.

Some local residents were witnesses to the incident, she claimed.