Mathura violence kingpin dead

Ram Briksh Yadav, the mastermind of Thursday’s violence at Jawahar Bagh in Mathura, is among those killed in the clashes, police said on Saturday.

The death toll mounted to 27, with three more people succumbing to injuries in hospital.  Uttar Pradesh DGP Javed Ahmed said Yadav's body was identified by his associates. ''Yadav's body was found among the cult members who had died in a fire that was caused by gas cylinder explosions set off by the encroachers,” Ahmed tweeted.

He said Yadav's family members, who live in UP's Ghazipur district, were being taken to Mathura for identification. The police had not been able to find Yadav’s body, triggering speculation that he might have escaped or was taken to a safe place by his supporters.

Yadav was the leader of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, a sect claiming allegiance to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. The sect members had encroached Jawahar Bagh area since 2014, and clashed with police when they tried to evict them on Thursday.

“Around a dozen people were burnt to death in the park after the encroachers set fire to their huts. This also triggered gas cylinder explosions,” a police official said. The Ghazipur district administration had been contemplating stopping pension  to Yadav under the Loktantra Rakshak Senani category in the wake of the Mathura violence.
DH News Service