Protests erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district on Friday over the killing of a 45-year-old trader following an alleged dispute over social media posts, with his family demanding the death penalty for the accused, demolition of their houses, Rs 5 crore in compensation and a government job for one member of the bereaved family.
The family of Vinod Kumar Sahani submitted a nine-point memorandum to District Magistrate Priyanka Niranjan, also demanding a police encounter of the accused, security for the family, residential or agricultural land and a house under the Chief Minister’s housing scheme. Uttar Pradesh minister and Nishad Party president Sanjay Nishad led a protest at the district headquarters, while Sahani’s relatives and villagers staged a separate demonstration with his body in Reksadiya village.
Protesters take body to road
Sahani, a utensils trader from Reksadiya village, was allegedly intercepted and attacked by a group of men on Wednesday evening following a dispute linked to social media posts. Seriously injured in the assault, he was taken for treatment and later shifted to a hospital in Lucknow, where he died on Thursday.
A large crowd assembled in Reksadiya under the Paraspur police station area on Friday morning. After initially protesting in the village, demonstrators attempted to move towards the Chachri-Paraspur road with Sahani’s body but were stopped by police. They subsequently took the body to Shahpur market and placed it on the road while pressing for action against the accused and police personnel allegedly responsible for negligence.
Security was tightened across the district as the protests intensified. Personnel from Paraspur, Tarabganj, Nawabganj and Colonelganj police stations were deployed under the supervision of Additional Superintendent of Police (West) Radheshyam Rai. Barricades were erected on roads leading to Colonelganj, while security was strengthened at the collectorate, district magistrate’s residence, superintendent of police’s office and circuit house.
Three policemen suspended
The demonstrations came a day after three police personnel were suspended over alleged negligence and dereliction of duty in handling the case. Paraspur Station House Officer Sub-Inspector Kamala Shankar Chaturvedi, Shahpur outpost in-charge Sub-Inspector Ankit Singh and constable Abhimanyu Bharti were suspended, and a departmental inquiry was ordered.
Police have so far arrested three accused — Shubham Singh alias Golu, Subhash Singh and Akash Singh — in connection with Sahani’s killing.
The family’s memorandum also sought measures to prevent similar incidents and action against people who may have supplied weapons or money to the accused or provided them with other forms of support. The administration said the demands would be examined in accordance with law and applicable rules.
Sanjay Nishad joins agitation
Nishad travelled from Lucknow to Gonda and initially reached the circuit house, where he expressed displeasure over the scale of police deployment. He argued that security personnel should instead be stationed near the houses of the accused to prevent any untoward incident, including possible arson.
The minister subsequently held a closed-door meeting with District Magistrate Niranjan and Superintendent of Police Abhishek. After the meeting, he walked nearly a kilometre from the circuit house to the collectorate with party workers, who raised slogans against the police administration and demanded capital punishment for Sahani’s killers.
Nishad later joined demonstrators sitting on the road outside the collectorate. The district magistrate described the killing as extremely unfortunate and assured the family that action would be taken in accordance with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s zero-tolerance policy. She said no guilty person would be spared and all possible assistance would be provided to the bereaved family.
Opposition leaders reach out to family
The killing also drew responses from Opposition parties. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav spoke to Sahani’s son Raja Sahani over the phone and conveyed his condolences. Former minister Yogesh Pratap Singh and SP leader Kajal Nishad visited the bereaved family.
Congress leader Triloki Nath Tiwari and SP state secretary Digvijay Singh were also among those who participated in the protest.
With demonstrations continuing and allegations of police negligence adding to anger over the killing, the administration maintained a heavy security presence in the district while assuring the family that the case would be pursued and its demands considered under the law.