Amethi Dalit family murder: Victim's brother refutes illicit affair claim

Raebareli (UP): The bodies of the Dalit school teacher and his wife, who were shot dead along with their two daughters in Amethi, were consigned to flames on Saturday at Gola Ganga Ghat here, while the children were buried.

According to police, accused Chandan Verma killed 35-year-old Sunil Kumar and his three family members on Thursday evening after his alleged relationship with the teacher's wife ended. He was arrested in Noida on Friday.

Meanwhile, Bhanu, brother of the deceased woman Poonam, has refuted Verma's claims of illicit relationship with his sister.

"He (Chandan) used to force my sister to speak with him. He also took pictures with her forcefully, that are now being circulated," said Bhanu, while speaking to reporters here.

Accusing the police of inaction, he said, "Had the local police taken action against Chandan after my sister lodged an FIR, this incident would have not happened."

The four bodies reached the village on Friday morning as people from nearby villages gathered there and raised slogans condemning the incident. Police were deployed in heavy numbers to maintain law and order.

The grieving family members refused to perform the last rites on Friday and maintained their stance despite repeated attempts by the local police to convince them.

They, however, agreed to conduct the last rites after Sonu, the brother of the teacher, reached the village late at night.

On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met the kin of the deceased in Lucknow.

Four members of the victim's family met Adityanath in a meeting that lasted around 30 minutes, according to an official statement on Saturday.

Speaking to PTI about the meeting, BJP MLA Manoj Pandey said, "The UP Chief Minister while expressing grief, said that he stands with the family, and assured that all possible help will be given."

The chief minister assured the family that as per law, one of the the victim's kin will be given a government job, financial assistance from the government and land, so that they can earn for their livelihood, Pandey, who was present in the meeting, said.

The MLA said all members of the family were assured Mukhyamantri Awas and Ayushman cards.

Adityanath later shared a picture of the meeting on X saying, "Today, at my official residence in Lucknow, in presence of honourable MLA of Unchahar, Manoj Pandey ji, I met the victim family of the unfortunate incident that took place in Amethi. The UP government stands with the bereaved family with full sympathy and commitment."

"Be assured, the victims will definitely get justice and the strictest action will be taken against the culprits," the chief minister added in his post in Hindi.

In an apparent jibe, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav without taking any names in a post on X, said, "If the problem is being solved by taking photographs, then a photographer should be made the minister."

During the last rites in Rae Bareli, former state minister Swami Prasad Maurya spoke to the victims' family members at Gola Ganga Ghat.

Bahujan Samaj Party's state chief Vishwanath Pal, who was also present for the cremation, said if the police had taken action on time, the killings could have been prevented.

"Jungle raj" is prevailing under the BJP-led government, he said.

The government school teacher, his 32-year-old wife Poonam, and their two daughters, Drishti and Suni, were shot dead in the Ahorwa Bhawani area of Amethi, according to police.

During the initial investigation, police found that Poonam had lodged an FIR against the accused in Rae Bareli on August 18 for eve-teasing, and under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Early morning on Saturday, police shot 27-year-old Chandan Verma, who was arrested the previous day, while they were trying to recover the pistol he allegedly used in the killing. He is currently receiving treatment for bullet injuries to his leg.

The complainant had also mentioned that "if anything happens to her or her family", Verma should be held responsible for it.

Verma, a Raebareli resident, told the police that he reached the victims' house on Thursday, got enraged over a discussion there and shot the family members.

He confessed to killing all four of them. He said he had an affair with Poonam for the last 18 months, adding that some time after the relationship turned sour, he got stressed, which led to the killings, according to the police said.

The accused also said that he had tried to kill himself but the pistol misfired, the police officials added.

Superintendent of Police Anoop Kumar Singh said Verma had fired 10 shots from a pistol.

Referring to a social media post by Verma in which he foretold the death of five people, the SP said, "He intended to shoot himself after killing the four family members. He was the fifth person but his suicide attempt failed."

On Saturday, while the police were trying to recover the pistol from a canal, Verma allegedly snatched Sub-Inspector Madan Kumar Singh's gun from his holster and fired at him intending to kill him, the police said in a statement.

Acting in defence, Inspector Sachchidanand Rai fired a gunshot which hit Verma in his right leg, after which he was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Amethi's Chief Medical Officer Dr Anshuman Singh said Verma was later referred to the district hospital from the community health centre in Tiloi.

"He had sustained bullet injuries in his right leg. He is out of danger," the CMO said.