JOIN USViolence erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad town, about 200 kilometres from here, on Wednesday after lawyers went on the rampage torching vehicles and clashing with the police after a colleague of theirs was killed after being shot at by a police sub-inspector on high court premises.
Two others, including a cop and another lawyer, sustained injuries during the clashes and both of them were stated to be “very critical” and were being treated at the hospital, sources here said.
Police sources said the trouble started after sub-inspector Shailendra Singh opened fire at a lawyer, Arif Nabi, following an altercation near the court building. Nabi died on the spot while a colleague of his sustained serious injuries when the cop also fired at him.
As the news of the lawyer’s death spread, a large number of lawyers from different courts gathered near the district police chief's office and demanded immediate arrest of the cop, who had taken refuge inside the office after being chased by the angry lawyers.
Around a dozen vehicles were torched by the lawyers as they fought a pitched battle with the cops. Shots were also exchanged during the clash, sources said. One police constable was hit by a bullet in his neck and was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition, sources added.
Police fired in the air and made a lathi charge to disperse the mob. Additional companies of the PAC na Rapid Action Force had been rushed to Allahabad to control the situation.
Lawyers in different parts of the state went on a strike to express solidarity with their colleagues. The UP Bar Council had given a call for an indefinite strike throughout the state. They demanded immediate removal of the Allahabad district magistrate and police chief.