Bhim Army leader killed

Lucknow: Exactly a year after the Thakur-Dalit clashes took place in Saharanpur on the occasion of Maharana Pratap Jayanti, tension gripped the district once again on Wednesday when the brother of the district Bhim Army president was shot dead under mysterious circumstances.

District magistrate P.K. Pandey had ordered shutting down of internet services till further orders. He has also called for deployment of para-military forces as a precautionary measure.

According to reports, Sachin Walia, brother of Kamal Wali, the Bhim Army district president, was shot from a short distance from where the Maharana Pratap Jayanti celebrations were to take place.

He was taken to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. His family has said that Sachin was shot dead but the identity of the assailants is not yet known.

As soon as the news of the murder spread, tension prevailed in the district and a heavy deployment of police was made in the areas where clashes had taken place last year.

The Bhim Army, it may be recalled, had given a call to boycott celebration of the Maharana Pratap Jayanti and had urged the district administration not to give permission for any such programme.

It had warned residents from celebrating Maharana Pratap Jayanti, leading to 800 police personnel being deployed at the Maharana Pratap Bhawan.

The district administration, too, adopted a cautious approach and permitted only 200 people to celebrate the occasion.

It may be recalled that in May 2017, Thakurs and Dalits had clashed when the two were celebrating anniversaries of Dr B R Ambedkar and Maharana Pratap. A Thakur youth was killed which led to escalation of violence in the region.