At least 24 people lost their lives in Mathura eviction drive

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has expressed his condolences over the killings and has reviewed the incident over a phone call with Yadav.

As reported, among the dead was a superintendent of police, Mathura SP Mukul Dwivedi and Farah station house officer Santosh Yadav.

Twenty-four people, including two police officers, were killed on Thursday evening in a clash in Mathura’s Jawahar Bagh colony between police and a mob resisting eviction from encroached land.

Members of the Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, or Free India Legal Ideas Revolutionary Protesters, have occupied Mathura’s Jawahar Bagh park for two years.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik today sought a detailed report about the Mathura incident from Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

He said that DGP, ADG and Principal Secretary (Home) were camping at the troubled town to restore normalcy.

Virtually blowing the bugle for the 2017 state Assembly elections, Shah said law-and-order situation in Uttar Pradesh has been reduced to mockery.

Rijiju said the “unfortunate” incident in Mathura was a matter of “grave concern” and condemnable and action must be taken to improve the situation.

Police said some vehicles with Madhya Pradesh registration numbers have been found.

“The wrath of people against encroachers was such that when they were retreating, they were severely beaten by the public”, an official said. “We are looking for them and will arrest them soon”.

He said the “trouble makers” set fire to a few temporary huts where the presence of LPG cylinders and gunpowder only aggravated the situation.

They want the authorities to abolish the post of prime minister and president and for 40 litres of petrol to be sold for 1 rupee (1 pence).

In April, the High Court in Allahabad ordered the occupiers to leave. On Thursday, despite repeated warnings from the police, the illegal occupants refused to vacate the land, and instead fired at the police with locally made arms, said a local police official.

The land falls under the Horticultural Department of the UP government, and earlier attempts by its officials to evict the people had failed.

Senior BJP leader Shrikant Sharma held the Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav-led government squarely responsible for the deaths of the police officers.

Later Hema Malini tweeted, “I am a very sensitive person”.