ETAH: A case has been filed against Bakshipur village pradhan and his associates for allegedly firing at a tehsildar and his team here, who had gone to investigate election rigging complaint against him.
A team of village officials, including tehsildar Rajiv Raj and his team was fired at by Bakshipur village pradhan Hariom and his associates yesterday, SHO Jayendra Singh said. The team had visited the village after one of the revenue staffs, Munna Lal complained that the pradhan was rigging the Panchayat elections by using fake votes of minors.
The accused Hariom and his supporters started firing at the team of officials when they reached the village, Singh said, adding that the officials had to lock themselves in a classroom to escape the assault. The officials phoned the police who reached the spot and restored peace.
An FIR has been registered against the village pradhan and 28 others in the incident, police said, adding that 10 empty cartridges were also recovered from the spot. No arrests have been made so far, Singh said. The area has been marked with constant violence, in the run up to the elections. A youth was shot dead in Awagarh town here last month during the Bagwala village Panchayat election.
Additional Superintendent of Police Visarjan Singh Yadav, however, said that directions have been given to the station officers to prevent such situations and maintain peace during election. Those persons who would take law in their hands would be dealt with strictly, he added.