Two persons arrested for murder of BKU leader, his son and brother in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur

Fathepur (UP): Two persons accused in the triple murders in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district sustained bullet injuries in their leg during an encounter with the police in the Khaga area on Wednesday, a senior official said.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Fatehpur, Dhawal Jaiswal, said that Piyush Singh (36) and Sajjan Singh (38) were shot after they opened fire at the police team at a police checkpoint in Khaga.

Piyush and Sajjan were travelling in a black SUV (Scorpio) when they fired at the police. In retaliatory firing, they were injured and subsequently arrested, the SP added.

With these fresh arrests, a total of four individuals have been arrested in the case. Earlier, within hours of the triple murders, police had arrested Suresh Kumar (55) and his son Bhupinder Singh (32).

However, some senior officials had initially claimed that Piyush Singh had been arrested along with his father Suresh and brother Bhupinder on Tuesday, but his name had been mentioned in confusion. Piyush was arrested on Wednesday only after the encounter with the police, they clarified.

Panic had gripped Akhri village in Fatehpur on Tuesday after a Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader, his son, and his brother were shot dead following an altercation over his tractor blocking the road.

The deceased were identified as BKU district president Pappu Singh (50), his son Abhay Singh (22), and his younger brother Pinku Singh (45).

Inspector General of Police Prem Kumar Gautam said that an argument broke out after former village head Suresh Kumar, alias Munnu, asked Pappu Singh to move his tractor parked on the road to allow passage for his bike.

The situation escalated when Suresh Kumar’s two sons and his aides joined the scuffle and opened fire indiscriminately, leading to the triple murders.

IG Gautam added that eight police teams have been formed, led by the Additional Superintendent of Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police, and station heads, to apprehend the other accused individuals, including Gyan Singh and Vivek, who were named in the FIR.

He also mentioned that the post-mortem of the three bodies will be conducted by a panel of three senior doctors, and the entire process will be videographed.

Meanwhile, heavy police forces, including the Provincial Armed Constabulary, have been deployed in Akhri village to maintain law and order.

"Police have begun their investigation into the case. Prima facie, two strong motives for the murders have emerged -- old political rivalry and anger over the cancellation of a ration shop allotted to Suresh Kumar," the IG told PTI.