(MENAFN- Live Mint) Amethi family killings update: Days after the gruesome killings of four members of a Dalit family in the Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh, some new updates have emerged.
According to a report by NDTV citing police, the murders of the four people were planned by the accused for nearly a month and he had also announced his intentions publicly, albeit in a cryptic manner.
The brutal murders took place on Thursday evening. Sunil Kumar (35), a government school teacher, his 32-year-old wife Poonam Bharti, and the couple's two daughters, Drishti (1) and Suni (6), were shot dead in the Ahorwa Bhawani area of Amethi.
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The brazen incident has shocked the entire state.
The accused, identified as Chandan Verma, also intended to kill himself afterwards, according to the report.
The police have found a screenshot of Chandan Verma's WhatsApp status from September 12 in which he said“5 people are going to die, I will show you soon”, the NDTV report said.
The screenshot and initial probe by the police have pointed to Verma's plan of killing himself after murdering the family, the report said.
It had come to light that Bharti had lodged a police complaint against Chandan Verma in Rae Bareli on August 18 under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, for harassment.
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In her complaint, she had said that she had gone to a hospital in Rae Bareli on August 18 when Verma had misbehaved with her and then slapped her and her husband when she had protested.
“He said 'If you report this I will kill you'. He has threatened to kill me before this as well. My family is in danger. If any incident or accident happens with me or my husband in the future, Chandan Verma will be responsible. I request you to register my complaint and take appropriate action,” Bharti had said.
Political row over the killings
The killings have drawn widespread denunciation of the Yogi Adityanath government.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday spoke on the phone to the father whose son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters were shot dead.
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Ram Gopal, aged 60, arrived in Sudamapuri village in the Unchahar area of Rae Bareli with the bodies of his family members.
“The way my son has gone, they (killers) should go the same way,” Ram Gopal told reporters earlier in the day in Amethi.
In the wake of the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid his condolences, while the Opposition launched a sharp attack against the BJP dispensation over the law and order situation in the state.
“The incident that happened in Amethi district today is highly condemnable and unforgivable. My condolences are with the bereaved family. @UPGovt stands with the victim's family in this hour of grief. The culprits of this incident will not be spared at any cost, strictest legal action will be taken against them,” Yogi Adityanath had posted on X on Thursday.
Congress MP Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi said:“The government keeps patting its back, claiming good law and order, but if that is the case, why such incidents are happening?”
In a sharp reaction to the incident, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav asked whether agencies meant to keep the people of UP safe were present at all.
“Koi hai, kahin hai (Is anyone there, is someone there anywhere),” Yadav said in a post on X.
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