Farmers’ union leader found dead near Jewar-Bulandshahr highway

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Title

Farmers’ union leader found dead near Jewar-Bulandshahr highway

Description

GREATER NOIDA: A 27-year-old Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader from a Jewar village was found dead with bullet wounds near Jewar-Bulandshahr highway on Wednesday night. Pradeep Atri was from Neemka village where he worked with the local wing of BKU. He used to stay with his parents, wife and two daughters. Local people said he used to work with local BJP workers and was planning to contest elections. According to the family’s complaint, Atri got a call around 8.30 pm on Wednesday and he left the house after that. Later, some villagers told them that they heard gunshots near the highway. The family tried to contact Atri but found that his phone was switched off. The family members started looking for him and found his body in a forest about 100m away from the highway. He had a bullet wound in the chest. “He was last seen at a restaurant with a person named Lawrence and a few others. “The restaurant owner told us that he saw him going into the forest with Lawrence and minutes later, he heard gunshots,” said Rampal Singh, Atri’s father. He added that the a few men were after Atri, as he had helped a family of a woman who was allegedly kidnapped by the men a few months ago. “Lawrence’s brother Vipin had kidnapped the married woman and my son had helped the family rescue her. We suspect that they killed my son to take to revenge,” Rampal said, adding that the men are also accused of the murder of the woman’s husband. He was found dead in Vallabhgarh of Haryana. After Atri’s body was found, an FIR was lodged under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapon), 302 (murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC against seven people — Lawrence, his brother vipin, cousins Akash, Jagatpal, Ranveer, Chaman Singh and another person. Rajesh Kumar Singh, DCP (zone 3) said they have detained three men. “Among the accused, two have been involved in criminal activities. Arrests would be made soon.”

Publisher

The Times of India

Date

2020-09-04

Coverage

Noida