BJP MLA Defends Shooter In Fatal Firing Incident In UP

Ballia: A BJP legislator from Uttar Pradesh on Friday came out in support of the main accused in a firing incident in Reoti area of Ballia district in which a 46-year-old man was killed.

Notably, Jaiprakash alias Gama was killed on Thursday when Dhirendra Pratap Singh fired after a meeting called for selection of ration shops was cancelled by the sub-divisional magistrate following a dispute between members of self-help groups gathered there, news agency PTI reported.

On Friday, however, the BJP MLA from Bairia, Surendra Singh, defended Dhirendra, who is the district unit president of the BJP ex-servicemen cell.

“Dhirendra opened fire in self-defence or else dozens of his family and associates would have been killed… He had no other option. It was a do-or-die situation for him,” the BJP legislator told reporters.

Surendra Singh, who has made controversial statements in the past, termed the firing incident as “unfortunate and sad” and accused the administration of bias.

He said six people from Dhirendra’s group were injured in the incident and one of them was hospitalised in Varanasi, but nobody was listening to them.

The MLA said he will write to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and also meet him to demand a CB-CID probe.