Adityanath visits Sonbhadra firing victims' families

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday met the family members of the people who were gunned down over a land dispute in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra district.

Yogi flew to Sonbhadra from Lucknow and went by road to Umbha village to meet the families.

Ten persons from the Gond community were killed when the village headman and his associates allegedly opened fire at them over a land dispute on July 17. Over 20 people sustained injuries in the incident.

Several Samajwadi Party workers were detained by the police ahead of Adityanath's visit.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) are in force in the village.

The chief minister had told a press conference on Friday that 29 people have been arrested and four officials have been suspended in connection with the incident.

"Till now, 29 criminals have been arrested. A single barrel gun, three double-barrel guns and a rifle have been seized. Whoever is found responsible for this incident, strictest action will be taken against them," he had said.

A compensation of Rs 5 lakh each has been paid to the families of the deceased by the state government.