Six police officials have been suspended.
Terror has gripped an area in Bareilly after a busy road became the stage for an hour-long shootout this morning, culminating in a man running over another before driving into what appears to be a large sewer. Adding to the sense of insecurity felt by residents is the fact that a few police officials allegedly arrived at the spot while the shots were being fired, but chose to remain mute spectators.
Videos from Pilibhit Road in Bareilly's Izzat Nagar Police Station area show members of a land mafia gang shooting at two owners of a plot, who are trying to take cover behind a car. While the gangsters are seen using a pistol, one of the owners is armed with a rifle, leading to bullets whizzing across the road.
One of the gangsters is seen heading towards the divider and firing at the two men. The man holding the rifle fires back while his relative behind him picks up what appears to be a stone and hurls it across the road. Vehicles can be seen stopping some distance away from the firing zone and the man who threw the stone gets into the car after being directed to do so by the rifleman.
As the man speeds away against the flow of traffic, the gangsters continue firing, only to find the car -- which had taken a U-turn -- come hurtling towards them. They scramble to get out of the way but the man holding the pistol can be seen getting run over by the car before it ends up in the sewer. No injuries were reported in the firing.
Sources said a builder, Rajiv Rana, had been trying to take over the plot - near Bajrang Dhaba on Pilibhit road - which is owned by Aditya Upadhyay. Complaints had been lodged with the police, but no action was allegedly taken.
Circle Officer Anita Chauhan said Rana turned up this morning with two JCBs to take possession of the plot and Mr Upadhyay and his relative tried to stop him. This led to the firing, and both JCBs were also set ablaze.
Bareilly Senior Superintendent of Police Ghule Sushil Kumar said, "Two cases have been filed and some people have been taken into custody. A team has been formed and the accused will be arrested following an investigation. This is a serious incident and we will impose charges under the Gangster Act and the National Security Act. There appear to be lapses on the part of local police officials as well, and six policemen have been suspended, including the Izzat Nagar police station in-charge. An inquiry has been initiated against them."
Hitting out at the government in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party called on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to rein in the mafias "thriving" in the state.
"Goondaism is at its peak in Uttar Pradesh, the morale of the criminals is high! In Bareilly, government protected goons opened fire in broad daylight over a land dispute. When will the chief minister rein in the mafias that are thriving with the government's blessings? The public is troubled by the unsafe environment in the state," the party's handle posted on X in Hindi with a video of the shootout.
(With inputs by Randeep Singh)