The Hindu : National : Two U.P. parties make an issue of Dadua killing

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Sunday, Jul 29, 2007
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National

Two U.P. parties make an issue of Dadua killing

Atiq Khan

A fake encounter, say Samajwadi Party rebel and Apna Dal

During Dadua’s lifetime crime rate was at its lowest in Banda, Chitrakoot: Verma
Statewide protest on August 2: Apna Dal

LUCKNOW: Within a week of the killing of dacoit Shiv Kumar alias Dadua by the Special Task Force in Chitrakoot, a scramble for Kurmi vote has begun in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. Dadua, who belonged to the backward caste, was a modern-day Robin Hood among his kinsmen, though there were around 200 cases of looting, dacoity, murder and extortion against him and he carried a reward of Rs. 5 lakh on his head.

Rebel Samajwadi Party member of Parliament and Samajwadi Kranti Dal president Beni Prasad Verma, himself a Kurmi, on Saturday said he would visit Chitrakoot to pray that Dadua’s soul rest in peace. During his lifetime, the crime rate was at its lowest in Chitrakoot and Banda, the SKD president claimed at a news conference here. He pointed out that Dadua was instrumental in getting 200-300 poor girls belonging to different communities married off.

While justifying the police operation against the dacoits, Mr. Verma alleged that Dadua was killed on July 22 in a bomb blast and not in a genuine encounter. The STF “hoodwinked” him, planting a remote-operated explosive device in an airbag containing a ransom of Rs. 10 lakh. He said the STF won over a Dadua loyalist-turned-informer to carry the bag containing the money and the bomb, which was to be delivered to the dacoit for freeing a “pakad” (kidnapped person).

Mr. Verma said the grenade, which the STF claimed killed five dacoits and the informer, was hurled after the bomb blast.

“Act of revenge”

Mr. Verma dubbed the killing of six STF commandos in the Ansuiya forests in Chitrakoot on the night of July 22-23 by the Thokia gang was an act of revenge. Ambika Patel alias Thokiya alias Doctor is also a Kurmi.

Accusing the STF of committing atrocities on Kurmis in Bundelkhand in the aftermath of the elimination of the dacoit, the MP urged Chief Minister Mayawati, to root out social inequality in the region so that another Dadua was not born again.

Mr. Verma said the brigand committed a mistake, aligning with the former Chief Minister Mulayam Singh. He claimed that Dadua wanted to surrender.

Meanwhile, Soney Lal Patel, president of the Apna Dal ( a party with a strong Kurmi support base), on Friday visited Ghataipur village in Fatehpur district and offered his condolences to Dadua’s son, Veer Singh, and daughters. He said the alleged fake encounter would be an issue in the party’s Statewide, August 2 protest against the Mayawati Government.

Mr. Patel said he would demand a high-level inquiry into the elimination of Dadua.

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