Mau firing toll reaches 4

He claimed that postmortem report and subsequent ballistic test would establish if the deaths were caused by police firearms or by countrymade weapons — fired by the rioters. According to Raizada,the police had retaliated only after the rioters attacked a police station and opened fire.

Azamgarh Range DIG K K Tripathi,however,said he had come across allegations that a few policemen at the Dakshin Tola police station had fired at the locals,causing gunshot injuries to some people. He added that so far,22 rioters have been identified and raids were being conducted to trace them. The police would invoke NSA against the accused.

When inquired if action was being initiated against those involved in the police firing,Tripathi said: “No. The police had opened fire only after other measures to disperse the rioters had failed. The mob had stormed into the Dakshin Tola police station and the lives of the families of the policemen living in the flats were at stake.”

While PAC and RAF jawans have been deployed in sensitive areas,Raizada and Tripathi are camping in the district. “The locals had come out on to the streets in the morning,but dispersed after seeing the heavy police deployment,” the DIG said.

Centre asks for report
Taking cognisance of the violence and the subsequent police firing in Mau district,the Centre on Thursday sought a report from the UP government. The state Home department has collected a detailed report from the DGP office and forwarded it to the chief secretary’s office. According to reports,it has been dispatched to the Union Home Ministry late in the evening.