The embers in Walipur village still smoulder and the houses that were set on fire on Saturday night have been reduced to ashes. There is an eerie silence in the village and families of the alleged accused have fled.
Bloodstains can be seen where village pradhan Nanhe Yadav, 40, was shot dead by a young man while he was sipping tea at a teastall late on Saturday night. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
His supporters then attacked the house of one Pappu Pal and set it on fire. Political rivalry had been simmering between Nanhe Yadav and Pappu Pal ever since Nanhe won the pradhan election. There was a property dispute between them too, after which they had vowed to teach each other a lesson.
When the police reached the village — apparently two hours after Nanhe Yadav’s murder — mob fury was at its ugliest; and when deputy SP Zia-ul-Haq tried to pacify the mob, the protesters turned their ire on him.
The DSP’s gunner was attacked, and in the melee that followed someone shot dead Suresh Yadav, younger brother of Nanhe Yadav. The condition of the gunner is still critical, while police inspector Sandeep Misra also received bullet injuries.
After the gunner was shot, the police turned their back and fled, and the mob lynched the DSP and beat him to death.