Youth killed by cattle smugglers in UP's Gorakhpur, villagers clash with police

Gorakhpur (UP), Sep 16 (PTI) A confrontation between villagers and suspected cattle smugglers here spiralled into violence on Tuesday, leaving a 20-year-old man dead, a smuggler critically injured, and senior police officers hurt in stone-pelting.

In the early hours of Tuesday, tension flared in Mauachapi village under Pipraich police station limits as news of the youth's death spread. Angry villagers blocked the Gorakhpur–Pipraich road, hurled stones at police, and forced traffic to a standstill. The blockade was lifted only after five hours, following assurances from senior officials.

The chain of events began late on Monday night, when 10–12 smugglers arrived in two pickup vans and allegedly tried to break open a furniture shop belonging to one Durgesh Gupta.

The shop's upper floor housed a travel agency where a relative was sleeping. On hearing the shutters being forced, he alerted Durgesh's son, Deepak.

Deepak rushed to the spot on a scooter, raising an alarm. Nearly 10–15 villagers followed him. Startled, the smugglers opened fire and tried to flee. In the chaos, they dragged Deepak into one of their vehicles and sped away.

Meanwhile, villagers caught hold of one smuggler, torched his vehicle, and thrashed him severely.

When police reached the scene and attempted to rescue the injured man, locals clashed with them, pelting stones. SP (North) Jitendra Srivastava and Pipraich SHO suffered serious injuries in the melee.

Later, police traced Deepak's blood-soaked body around 4 km away, triggering outrage in the area.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and directed senior officials to rush to the spot, assuring that "the culprits will not be spared".

DIG Shiv S Channappa and SSP Raj Karan Nayyar met the victim's family and promised swift action.

District Magistrate Deepak Meena described the incident as "extremely tragic" and said continuous action was being taken.

"One accused has been caught. We have spoken to the family, and their demands have been discussed. Whatever assistance can be provided at both local and higher levels will be ensured. First, the post-mortem will be conducted and cremation performed, after which we will again hold talks with the family," he said.

Deepak's grieving mother broke down, demanding that her son's killers be given the death penalty. SSP Raj Karan Nayyar, who camped at the site along with senior officials, said the situation was later brought under control, with PAC and additional forces deployed.

Meanwhile, Deepak's father, Durgesh Gupta, alleged police negligence, claiming that his son could have been saved if authorities had acted promptly. The family has demanded Rs 1 crore compensation, a government job, and strict action against both the smugglers and erring policemen.

SSP Nayyar said the report about the incident was received around 3.30 am. The smugglers had arrived in two pickup vans, one of which was able to flee the spot while the other got stuck, and the young man (Deepak) had gone after it.

"One of the people from the stuck pickup van was caught by the villagers, and he was hospitalised. The police immediately reached the spot. The youth (Deepak) received injuries to his head, apparently because of which he unfortunately died. The autopsy report will confirm it. A complaint has been received from the family, and further legal actions have been initiated," Nayyar told reporters.

He said some of the accused have been identified, and five police teams are working on the case to quickly apprehend them. PTI COR KIS HIG