Dalit Youth Killed in Bomb Blast in UP Village; Kin Allege Police Inaction
The youth's father, Mevalal Rawat, registered an FIR against people belonging to the upper caste.
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English Script: Mayank Chawla
Video Editors: Mohd Irshad Alam, Rajbir Singh
A 18-year-old Dalit youth was blown up by a bomb planted under his cot in Rani Mau village in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, on the early hours of 19 June 2022. On 23 June, the youth succumbed to his injuries.
The victim, Shivam Rawat, worked as a labourer in Haridwar and had returned home on 18 June. He was sleeping on a cot outside his house when at around 12:55 pm, the bomb detonated.
He was rushed to the community health centre in Mal and was later referred to the Lucknow trauma centre, where he breathed his last.
A Property Dispute
Shivam's father, Mevalal, a farmer by profession, registered a named First Information Report (FIR) against people belonging to the upper caste.
Mevalal was allegedly involved in a property dispute with some people in the village, but he never suspected that it would lead to his elder son's death.
Rawat disclosed that he suspected Harkesh Singh, Tejbahadur, and Deepu Singh, who belong to the Thakur caste and live in the same village, behind the crime.
"My wife saw all three of them fleeing after the blast," he told The Quint.
Suresh Kumar, Shivam's uncle, added that he was sleeping next to Shivam when the incident occurred.
"When I woke up from the noise of the explosion, I saw Shivam lying 10 feet away from the cot."
'Police Are Neither Investigating, Nor Hearing Us Out'
The victim's relatives alleged that the police are taking a lackadaisical approach, and no arrest has been made yet.
"The police has not conducted any investigation into the matter yet," Shivam's mother, Savitri told The Quint.
However, the Station House Officer (SHO) said that a team has been formed to investigate the incident.
The investigating officer, Yogendra Singh, refused to divulge any information pertaining to the case.
"I cannot give any information on the phone because I can't ascertain the identity of the caller," Singh told The Quint's Piyush Rai.
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