Dhirendra Singh’s statement came hours after an MLA BJP defended him saying he fired in self-defense.
Lucknow:
Dhirendra Singh, wanted for allegedly shooting a man to death during an argument in a Uttar Pradesh town in Ballia in the presence of officials and police officers, appeared in a video Friday night, refuting the charges and blaming the administration for the violence.
“I don’t know who shot. I was pleading with the officials to save my family. They just stood there and watched … I am a soldier. I have always believed in serving my country. I urge the prime minister for a probe fair.” he said in the video.
His statement came hours after a BJP MLA defended him, saying he shot in self-defense and killed a 46-year-old man at the ration shop allocation meeting in the town of Durjanpur.
According to witnesses, a fight broke out between him and Dhirendra Singh, a BJP worker who is said to be close to the MLA Surendra Singh party. Dhirendra Singh, the former chairman of the local BJP ex-military unit, allegedly fired three shots at Jaiprakash, causing chaos and a near-stampede at the meeting held in a tent.
“Yesterday, there were many senior officials present at the meeting. I had warned them before that there was going to be violence. But they went ahead with the meeting. The officials were involved in the violence yesterday. They took money,” he added. Dhirendra Singh alleged.
He also blamed local officials and the police for ignoring his request to deploy sufficient security for the meeting and claimed that one of his relatives was killed in the incident and eight were injured.
“My elderly father was shocked yesterday. My family was attacked with sticks. In the video they saw me beating. I am a Rajput, I proudly served the army for 18 years. I managed to free myself and escape. They wanted to beat me to death there,” He said.
Police arrested two people, including Dhirendra Singh’s brother, in the incident and five others were arrested, the PTI news agency reported. Dhirendra Singh, who escaped under the noses of the police, is still missing. The police have declared a reward of Rs 50,000 for his arrest.
Subdivision Magistrate Suresh Chandra Pal and Police Circle Officer Chandrakesh Singh were suspended on instructions from Prime Minister Yogi Adityanath shortly after Thursday’s incident.
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