200 men on 32 tractors fired for an hour, killed 10 people - Anatomy of a massacre in UP’s Sonbhadra
Twenty-four people have been arrested so far in connection with the gunning down of 10 people in Uttar Pradesh’s second-largest district, Sonbhadra.
Bereaved relatives of the persons killed in mass murder in Ubhbha village of Ghoraval tehsil in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh | Photo Credit: IANS
Key Highlights
- 10 people were killed on July 17 in Murtiya village of Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district
- The mineral-rich Sonbhadra is Uttar Pradesh’s second-largest district
- UP CM Yogi Adityanath suspends sub-divisional magistrate and four other officials
Sonbhadra: It looked like a scene taken straight out of a gangster-thriller. In Uttar Pradesh’s second-largest district, Sonbhadra, at least 10 people were killed in bloody clashes in Murtiya village at around 11 am on July 17.
The mineral-rich Sonbhadra is the only district in the country sharing its border with four other states – Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
The key accused in the carnage, Yagya Dutt, is also the village head. As per reports, Dutt had brought around 200 supporters on 32 tractors to take possession of 36 acres of disputed land in the district's Ghorawal area. As their attempt was opposed by the tribals, who were tilling the land, Dutt's men started firing at them.
The gruesome carnage went on for more than 30 minutes. When the mindless firing stopped, bodies of victims littered the ground. Blood spots and torn slippers at the spot showed the brutality of the crime. Those who witnessed it were too horrified to describe the scene, which surely they would not be able to forget ever.
As per the initial reports, the tribals have cultivated the disputed land for generations. However, they lack ownership titles and have been asking for it for decades now.
However, the main accused, Dutt, alleged that he had purchased the land 10 years ago from a local family.
The investigation further said that in the year 1955, a huge piece of land was transferred to a cooperative society formed by a family as per a government scheme.
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The scheme was scrapped in 1966 but the land was not given back to the government. Twenty-three years later, the land was transferred to individuals belonging to the same family. In 2010, the village chief purchased a chunk of this land from this family.
The UP Police have arrested 24 people so far in connection with the Sonbhadra carnage. They have also confiscated a rifle, a single barrel gun, three double-barrel guns, and six tractor trolleys.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has vowed justice for the victims. Amid rising anger over the clashes, Adityanath suspended a sub-divisional magistrate and four cops.
The horrific incident has handed ammo to the opposition parties to hit out at the ruling Yogi Adityanath government.
In the full political drama that unfolded on TV screens on Friday, Congress general secretary UP (East) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was detained while she was going to Sonbhadra. She was taken to a guesthouse.
The Congress leader was stopped on the Varanasi-Mirzapur border and taken to the Chunar guesthouse after she sat on 'dharna'.
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has also issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government, asking it to file a report on the killing of 10 tribal farmers.