Ballia Shooting: ‘Fired No Bullet,’ Says Absconding BJP Leader in Video; NSA Charges to be Slapped on Accused, Say Police

New Delhi: Local BJP leader Dhirendra Pratap Singh, the main accused in the killing of a 46-year-old man at a meeting attended by senior administration and police officials in Ballia, on Saturday released a video of him claiming innocence. Singh, who is also a close aide of BJP MLA Surendra Singh, asserted that he is being “framed” as “no bullet was fired by him” and it was his family that was “harassed”, a report said.

He also blamed the SDM, CO and police of ignoring his request to deploy police personnel during the meeting and claimed that one of his family members died in the incident while eight were injured.

“SDO Suresh Pal and CO Chandrakesh Singh, BDO Gajendra Singh Yadav and SI Sadanand Yadav were all present at the public meeting. Earlier, I had apprised the SDO and BDO several times that the atmosphere is bad, so on what basis do they want to give quota? Then I was told that the side with more people, will get the quota. There were 1500 people on my side and only 300 from the other. I told the officers about the possibility of a ruckus, but they rubbished it,” News18 quoted Singh as saying.

“A meeting was deliberately organised near the Panchayat Bhavan, which is closer to the residences of those from the other party. When the fighting and stone pelting started, I was standing next to the SDO and CO and requested them to check the situation, but they stood and watched,” he alleged in the video. He claimed that his is being harassed and their house being vandalized by the administration, according to the report by leading news channel.

Meanwhile, those accused in the Ballia shooting will be charged under the National Security Act and the Gangster Act, police said on Saturday, as the hunt continued for Dhirendra Pratap Singh who allegedly shot the man dead.

Eight people have been named accused in the incident on Thursday. While police is on the lookout for six people, two have been arrested. Police have also detained five others. Besides the eight accused, the FIR in the case mentions 20-25 unnamed accused.

DIG (Azamgarh Range) Subhash Chandra Dubey has announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 on information leading to the arrest of each of the accused.

Dhirendra Pratap Singh allegedly shot dead Jai Prakash on Thursday as a fracas broke out at the meeting at Durjanpur village in the Reoti police station area of the district over allotment of ration shops.