Ghazipur stone pelting: 19 arrested, FIR against 32

19 people have been arrested and FIR against 32 have been registered in connection with Ghazipur stone pelting that claimed life of a police constable on Saturday.

"The death of Head Const. Suresh Pratap Singh Vats in Gajipur in stone pelting is extremely tragic. So far 19 accused in 3 cases have been arrested, which include 11 in the case of murder. Strict action will be taken against those involved in violence under stringent sections of law," Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh tweeted on Sunday.

The policemen was killed after members of a protest rally, organised by the Nishad Party allegedly hurled stones on him near Naunera in Ghazipur. The constable was deployed at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Ghazipur and was returning from the event when the incident took place.

Taking note of the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 40 lakh for the wife of the deceased. He also directed the police officials and district magistrate to take strict action against the unruly elements and make an immediate arrest in the case.

Meanwhile, the ruling BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has come under criticism over the incident.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday blamed Adityanath's violent attitude for the death of the police constable. "Ye ghatna isliye ghati hai kyunki CM sadan mein ho ya manch pe ho unki ek hi bhasha hai 'thok do'. Kabhi police ko nahi samjh aata kise 'thokna' hai kabhi janta ko nahi samajh aata kise 'thokna' hai(This incident took place because the chief minister, whether he is in the assembly or on a stage, only talks about violence. Sometimes the police don't know who to beat up, and sometimes the public doesn't know who to beat up," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said at a conference here.

Meanwhile, the son of the slain police constable blamed police force responsible for his father's death.

Venting his ire over the Uttar Pradesh Police, VK Singh, the deceased constable's son, told ANI, "If the police are not able to protect their co-workers then what sort of protection can a common man expect from them."

Singh also said that none of the dignitaries who were present at the Prime Minister's rally came forward to resolve the issue. "A video of the incident was posted on youtube. One can see when the rally ended, the clashes broke out and near the incident spot several VIPs sitting in their cars were passing. Not even a single dignitary who was passing by stopped the car and tried to resolve the issue. Everybody was concerned about saving their own lives," he said.