New Delhi: The body of the police constable killed during an encounter with a notorious criminal was sent to his hometown Muzaffarnagar today. Sachin Rathi -- shot during yesterday's encounter with murder-accused Ashok Yadav in Kannauj -- had died last night.
The 30-year-old was to be married in a month to a colleague, Komal Deshwal, who is also a constable. Instead, his family were handed his body today.
Rathi's father and uncle, who had gone to Kannauj to bring him back, were inconsolable.
Visuals from the Police Lines showed the entire force gathered to pay their last respects. Ms Deshwal was seen consoling Rathi's father, Vedpal Rathi, but utterly broke down while saying her goodbyes.
"We want him to be declared martyred… also.. the criminals should be treated the same way.. they should get what happened to Sachin.. we demand justice," said his uncle Devendra Rathi.
Rathi was part of a four-member team that went to arrest Ashok Yadav, wanted in at least 20 cases, from his home Kannauj. The 52-year-old had jumped bail and was at a village where his wife has been a pradhan.
Rathi's team was sent to arrest him after a local court issued a non-bailable warrant against him.
But Ashok Yadav and his son Abhay opened fire on the police team. The two were caught with the help of reinforcements from four police stations.
During the hour-long encounter, Rathi was shot in the thigh and died after massive blood loss at a hospital in Kanpur where he was sent.
More than 16 policemen have died and over 1,500 have been injured during encounters with criminals in Uttar Pradesh since Yogi Adityanath's government came into power in March 2017.
Altogether, 11,808 encounters have taken place in this period.