Kanpur: The main accused in the murder of a seer, Rammilan Das alias Baba Milan Das Singh (45) in Unnao, was killed in a police encounter in the early hours of Monday, police said.
Superintendent of police, Unnao, Jay Prakash Singh said Israel, who carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh, had been on the run since the seer’s murder on June 9. Three other accused have already been arrested.
Acting on a tip-off at 3:40 a.m., a police team, along with the Special Operations Group, surrounded Israel near an underpass in Bangarmau while he was waiting for an associate. Police asked him to surrender, but he opened fire on the team.
During the exchange of fire, SOG constable Vikas Bhadauria suffered a bullet injury, while another bullet hit the bulletproof jacket of sub-inspector Newton Kumar Singh.
Israel suffered grievous injuries in retaliatory firing and died after being taken to Bangarmau community health centre.
Police recovered a .315-bore country-made pistol, two spent cartridges and a knife allegedly used in the murder from his possession.
Background of the Seer's Murder
The seer’s murder on June 9 had triggered tension in the area. According to the complaint filed by the victim’s brother, Virendra Singh, Rammilan Das was stabbed by Israel and his associates on June 9. Police had registered a case against five accused—Israel, Lalli alias Ajay Gautam, Yamin, Shanu and Shafi—along with 2-3 unidentified people.
Dispute Over Bhajans Led to Murder
Family members alleged the dispute stemmed from playing ‘bhajans’ on a loudspeaker at an under-construction Shiv temple the seer was building on his land in Ramnagar village under Bangarmau police station limits.
The victim’s brother claimed that some residents had objected to the playing of ‘bhajans’ and that the seer had received threats over the temple construction. He alleged that the murder was part of a conspiracy aimed at stopping religious activities at the site.
Police said that Shafi, Lalli alias Ajay Gautam and Yamin were arrested on June 11.
Rammilan Das, the youngest of five brothers, had been constructing a Shiv temple for the past five months and regularly performed prayers there.
