The district police here said a youth died when they fired in self-defence last week, contradicting an earlier claim by the Uttar Pradesh DGP that no one died in police firing during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Vishwajeet Srivastava on Tuesday said a 22-year-old man was killed when a policeman opened fire while facing a violent mob in Nahtaur.
“On December 20, after Friday prayers, a violent mob attacked a police station and snatched the pistol of sub-inspector Ashish Tomar”, he said. A constable was fired at when he tried to get it back, he added. “When the constable opened fire in self-defence, it hit upadravi [troublemaker] Suleiman and he died,” the SP added.
Suleiman’s family said he had been preparing for the Civil Services Examination and had nothing to do with the protests.
Another man, Anis, died in firing from the mob in the district, the SP said.
Bijnor Superintendent of Police Sanjiv Tyagi said police used minimum force against the protesters. “They put children in the front and resorted to slogan shouting, stone-pelting and arson,” he said.
Thirty-two FIRs were registered and 215 were people arrested in the district, where the situation is now normal, the SP said.
