Ballia, October 15: A person died in a firing that took place at a meeting in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia on Thursday. According to reports, the meeting was called at Panchayat Bhawan in Durjanpur village to allot shops under the government quota. The deceased was identified as Jaiprakash alias Gamapal. The clash took place between two social service groups and bullets were fired by one Dheerendra Pratap Singh. Three Killed, 1 Injured in Group Clash, Firing in UP.

The firing took place in presence of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate Suresh Pal and Circle Officer Chandrakesh Singh. According to reports, Dheerendra Pratap Singh, reportedly a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), opened fire at a man, leading to his death. The accused fled from the scene amid a stampede-like situation that followed the firing. Several videos of the incident are being widely circulated on social media.

Firing at Meeting Called to Allot Shops in Ballia:

Following the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered the immediate suspension of the SDM Suresh Pal, CO Chandrakesh Singh and police personnel who were present when the firing took place. The Chief Minister directed that strict action be initiated against the accused, adding that legal action should be taken if cops are found at fault.

Reacting to the incident, former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party said those in power are challenging law and order openly. "A horrific incident that defied law and order in Ballia has come to light where a BJP leader shot and killed a young man Jai Prakash Pal in front of SDM and CO. The BJP leader also escaped after being shot in front of the police,” the party posted.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 15, 2020 07:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).