UP Bar Council Chief Darvesh Yadav Shot Dead In Agra Court
AGRA : Uttar Pradesh Bar Council president Ms Darvesh Singh was shot dead on Wednesday in the court premises here by a lawyer who then tried to kill himself, police said. Singh, the first woman president of the bar council elected to the post two days ago, had come for a visit to the Civil Court when she was attacked around 2.30 pm.
Agra City’s Additional Superintendent of Police Praveen Verma said she was shot by lawyer Manish Sharma, who had been her long-time acquaintance.
This was Ms Yadav’s first visit to the court after her election. News agency PTI quoted witnesses as saying that Manish Sharma suddenly stood up in the middle of the ceremony and opened fire at her. Then, before the others could recover, he shot himself.
Ms Yadav, who belongs to Etah, had created history of sorts on Monday by becoming the first woman to be elected as the president of the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council. Police said Ms Yadav’s relatives, including a sister who works as a police officer in Muzaffarnagar, have been informed of the incident. The victim’s body has been sent for a post-mortem examination.
According to the official after spraying three bullets on her, Sharma also shot himself . “Sharma is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital and is in a critical condition.”He said the pistol used by the lawyer is a licensed weapon and the police have taken possession of it.
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav also condemned the incident, saying the law and order situation in the started has deteriorated. Rapes, murders and political killings are increasing at an alarming rate.
The CM is chairing meetings upon meetings but the law and order situation is only deteriorating. Now the first woman head of the bar council of Agra has been shot. Even upholders of the law are not safe.
Singh had come on her first visit to the Civil Court after her election, he said quoting eyewitnesses. At the ceremony in her honour, Sharma suddenly got up and opened fire on her, police said. Before anyone could react, he shot himself too. Singh’s body has been sent for a post-mortem.
Police told that although both were taken to the Pushpanjali Multispeciality Hospital in the city, Ms Yadav died soon afterwards. Manish Sharma has been hospitalised in a critical condition.
According to sources, Manish Sharma allegedly shot Ms Yadav three times while she was attending her welcome ceremony in the bar council chambers around 2:30 pm. Police are trying to ascertain the motive behind his action.
Tensions rose in the region after the incident occurred, with advocate groups threatening to launch protests from tomorrow.
The Bar Council of India condemned the murder and demanded a minimum compensation of Rs. 50 lakh for her family from the Uttar Pradesh government. It also demanded that the administration ensure the safety of its members, news agency ANI reported.
The incident provoked many political reactions on social media, some of whom slammed the Yogi Adityanath government. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav attributed the incident to the “deteriorating” law-and-order situation in Uttar Pradesh, and said that even “upholders of the law are not safe”.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, who had fought the recent Lok Sabha elections in alliance with Akhilesh Yadav, also commented on the matter. “The murder of newly elected Uttar Pradesh Bar Council president Darvesh Yadav is sad and highly condemnable. This, coupled with the assault of journalists by the police in Shamli, goes to prove that the chaos and ‘jungle raj’ under the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has only increased after the general polls,” she tweeted in Hindi.
The Shamli incident involved the alleged abuse suffered by a journalist at the hands of the Uttar Pradesh police while he was covering a train derailment yesterday night.
(With inputs from Agencies)
