Kashipur/Moradabad: A day after wife of a local BJP leader was killed in a clash involving Uttar Pradesh police and residents of Bharatpur village near Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand police have booked their UP counterparts on charges of rioting, armed with deadly weapon, trespass and criminal conspiracy.
Uddham Singh Nagar police said the criminal case had been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code based on a complaint from the spouse. The police said they were unaware of the raid carried out by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Thakurdwara police station, which is 11 km away from Bharatpur, from Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad district.
Gurpreet Kaur, the wife of Gurtaj Bhullar who is a block pramukh, was killed and five others including four UP cops were injured. Two cops who suffered bullet wounds are said to be out of danger. Uttarakhand Police pacified the irate villagers who along with legislators from Kashipur— Trilok Singh Cheema and Gadarpur— Arvind Pandey blocked the four-way lane traffic near Kunda Police station seeking immediate arrest of the suspects involved in the shootout.
Kumaon DIG Nilesh Anand Bhare visited the residence of Gurtaj Bhullar in Bharatpur village where the UP police encounter unfolded and took stock of the situation. "Police team from Moradabad in UP carried out the raid without informing the Uttarakhand police. All the UP police personnel who participated in the operation were in civvies. We have registered a case charging murder and conspiracy against the UP police under relevant sections," Nilesh said.
Moradabad DIG Shalabh Mathur told PTI that the Thakurdwara police team was on the lookout for Jafar, a suspect wanted in an illegal sand mining. On Wednesday night, the police received information that Jafar was hiding at the house of the Jaspur block pramukh. The police team reached the spot acting on this information but it was fired upon from the other side. Two police personnel sustained bullet injuries on their leg and a total four personnel, including the Station House Officer (SHO), were injured," Mathur said.
Moradabad SSP Hemant Kutiyal maintained that the operation was so quick and urgent that UP Police could not formally inform its Uttarakhand counterparts. He blamed the block pramukh and his aides for attacking the police and snatching their weapons. "We have registered a case against the block pramukh and his aides at Thakurdwara police station under relevant sections," he said.
