UP man shot dead for lodging FIR against daughter’s molester, two arrested

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday directed officials to invoke the National Security Act (NSA) against all the four accused involved in the murder of Amrish Sharma, a potato grower of village Nauzarpur under Sasni police station area in Hathras.

According to the police, an FIR was registered against four accused, two of whom have been arrested.

As per the police sources, Amrish Sharma was shot dead by hoodlums including Gaurav Songra and his friends following an altercation as the accused was mounting pressure on the deceased to withdraw a case which the latter had got registered against him for allegedly molesting his daughter in 2018.

Taking cognizance of the incident in Hathras, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials concerned to take strict action in the matter. “The CM has also given directions to invoke the National Security Act (NSA) against all the accused involved in the case," the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a statement.

As per the sources, Songra is associated with the Samajwadi Party and was planning to organise a Kisan Mahapanchayat in Tappal where SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was also invited on Wednesday. Songra’s  Facebook profile claims that he is the special invitee member at the executive of the SP (Chhhatra Sabha).

Sources claimed that the deceased had filed a case against Songra back in July 2018 for allegedly molesting his daughter following which he was arrested and sent to jail. But he came out on bail after a month. Since then both the families had been at loggerheads.

Hathras Superintendent of Police (SP) Vineet Jaiswal confirmed that Sharma was shot dead in Nauzapur village by the main accused Songra along with his friends on Monday at around 4 pm.

"During the probe, it came to the fore that the case lodged against Songra by Amrish Sharma in July 2018 has been a an issue of contention,” said the SSP.

Speaking about the incident, the police official said that on Monday, the wife and the aunt of the main accused Songra and both the daughters of Sharma had gone to the village temple.

“They had an argument there over the 2018 case. The accused and Sharma also arrived at the temple later and engaged in an altercation,” said the cop.

The daughter of the deceased corroborated the facts saying during her altercation, the wife and aunt of Songra threatened her with dire consequences at the village temple.

“At around 3.30 pm on Monday, when my father returned to the field and was busy in harvesting potato crop, Songra arrived with his henchmen in a four wheeler. They parked the vehicle at some distance and approached my father in the field. They fired at my father in the head, chest and abdomen leaving him dead on the spot,” the victim’s daughter claimed adding that her father was shot in front of her and her mother as they had gone to the field to give lunch to him.

The SP said that the police reached the incident spot and an investigation was carried out on Monday. He said that teams were set up to nab the remaining accused and further investigation was underway.