Sonbhadra firing: UP govt suspends 4 officials, 29 suspects arrested

Lucknow: Twenty-nine people have been arrested and four officials have been suspended in connection with the Sonbhadra firing incident which caused nine deaths, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday

"Till now, 29 criminals have been arrested. A single barrel gun, three double-barrel guns and a rifle have been seized. Whoever is found responsible for this incident, strictest action will be taken against them," he said at a press conference here.

Giving out details about the incident, the Chief Minister said, "The foundation of this incident was laid in 1955 when the then tehsildar did the unlawful act of registering the land of gram samaj in the name of Adarsh Cooperative Society."

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"The government has ordered the suspension of four officials. A three-member committee has been constituted to investigate the matter from 1955 till now and give a report to the government in 10 days," he added.

Adityanath assured that strict action will be taken against those involved.The incident took place on Wednesday in Ubbha village of Ghorawal where the village head went to take possession of his land purchased two years ago. However, he met with opposition from the villagers which triggered the firing allegedly by his aides leading to the deaths.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who arrived in Sonbhadra earlier in the day, was detained by the police after she sat on a dharna against the state government for not allowing her to meet the kin of those killed in the incident.

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Reacting to the police's action against his sister, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "The illegal arrest of Priyanka in Sonbhadra, UP, is disturbing. This arbitrary application of power, to prevent her from meeting families of the 10 Adivasi farmers brutally gunned down for refusing to vacate their own land, reveals the BJP Govt's increasing insecurity in UP."

Police detained Priyanka citing the violation of Section 144, which is imposed in the area. (ANI)

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