A CBI court today sentenced 10 people to life imprisonment for the murder of Zia-ul-Haque who was serving as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Kunda, Uttar Pradesh. Zia-ul-Haque was brutally killed in March 2013 while travelling on duty to Ballipur village in Pratapgarh.
Earlier on Friday a designated CBI court in Lucknow convicted 10 people for their involvement in the 2013 murder of Zia-ul-Haque.
The Special CBI Judge Dhirendra Kumar found accused Phoolchand Yadav, Pawan Yadav, Manjit Yadav, Ghanshyam Saroj, Ram Lakhan Gautam, Chote Lal Yadav, Ram Asre, Munna Patel, Shivram Pasi, and Jagat Bahadur Patel guilty in the 2013 murder case.
The Special CBI Judge found the accused guilty of rioting, assaulting a public servant, and murder under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including sections 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from duty), 332 (causing hurt to a public servant), and 302 (murder), along with charges under the Arms Act.
The CBI had taken over the investigation into the case after an FIR was lodged at Hatigaon Police Station in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, concerning Haque’s murder. According to the investigation, on March 2, 2013, DSP Zia-ul-Haque, along with his team, went to the village of Balipur to handle a law-and-order situation following the murder of village headman Nanhe Yadav.
As per the CBI findings, “The family members of deceased Nanhe Yadav Pradhan and their supporters attacked, chased, and assaulted the police party with lathis, dandas, and other deadly weapons. The mob apprehended, assaulted, and killed CO Kunda while other policemen escaped.”
The CBI filed chargesheet in the case on June 7, 2013, naming 12 individuals, including Sudhir Yadav and Yogendra Yadav. However, accused Yogendra Yadav, passed away during the trial, leading to the charges against him being abated.
Out of the remaining accused, 10 have been convicted, while Sudhir Yadav has been acquitted.
