Four persons, including a woman, were killed in two incidents of violence in the Budhana area of Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district on Wednesday. It was, however, unclear if the killings were a result of communal tension or land disputes.
On Wednesday evening, Muhammadpurraisingh village resident Rajendra Singh, a retired army man, went to work on a field in Hussainpur-Khanpur with his wife. There, local sources said, they were attacked by unidentified masked men, who killed Mr. Singh’s wife. Mr. Singh sustained serious injuries.
This led to a clash between people of two villages. Three youths were then killed in retaliatory violence by unidentified persons. The three have been identified as Afroz, Meherbaan and Ajmal.
Without going into details, the Muzzafarnagar SSP confirmed the news. While the police have not revealed details, there are conflicting accounts of the events. While it was reported that the three were beaten to death, a social activist from the area said firing had taken place. Tension prevailed in the area even as police forces were rushed to the spot from neighbouring districts.
In another incident at Beerpur, a former pradhan was shot at, allegedly by the incumbent, over a land dispute, Station officer A. Chaudhary said. The incident took place in a sugarcane field, close to a relief camp, around 6.30 p.m. The land belongs to the Forest Department.
