A dispute over accounts of a previous Ramleela fair turned violent in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit district on Monday night, leaving three people dead and one injured after a group allegedly assaulted them with sticks and opened fire.
The incident took place around 9.30 pm in Amaria police station limits, around 20 km from the district headquarters, when the dispute broke out between the two groups linked to the local Ramleela committee. Police have arrested the main accused, Kaushal Gupta, and two others, and also recovered firearms and sticks from them, officials said.
The deceased were identified as trader brothers Ankit Gupta, 30, and Mohit Gupta, 38, and Kunal Srivastava, 18. The injured person was identified as Rose Gupta, 20.
According to preliminary information, a meeting was called on Monday evening to discuss preparations and arrangements for the upcoming Ramleela fair. Tensions reportedly broke out when one group sought an account of the income and expenditure of the previous fair.
The argument allegedly turned into a physical altercation, with one side attacking the trader brothers with sticks before opening fire. Both brothers and two passers-by sustained bullet injuries and were rushed to hospital, where doctors declared three of them dead.
Pilibhit superintendent of police Sukirti Madhav Mishra said three accused, including Kaushal Gupta, were arrested in connection with the incident.
Additional superintendent of police Himanshu Gaurav and other officers reached the spot following the incident. A huge force of police was deployed in the town to prevent further tension and maintain law and order.