Ghaziabad:
Days after the stabbing of 17-year-old Surya Pratap Chauhan sparked outrage and protests in Ghaziabad, the main accused in the case, Asad, was shot dead in a late-night police encounter on Saturday.
Asad, who had been on the run and carried a reward of Rs 50,000 on his arrest, sustained gunshot injuries during retaliatory firing in a joint operation by the Khoda and Indirapuram police teams. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him “brought dead”.
During the exchange of fire, a police officer also suffered a gunshot injury and is currently undergoing treatment, officials said.
The development comes days after Chauhan was allegedly stabbed by Asad and his aides in Ghaziabad’s Khoda area on May 28, the day of Bakrid. The incident triggered widespread anger among residents, with family members of the victim and several Hindu organisations staging protests and demanding the immediate arrest and encounter of those involved.
Police had been carrying out continuous raids and search operations to trace Asad before the late-night encounter.
“On May 28, Asad and his aides had attacked Surya Pratap Chauhan with a knife in the Khoda area. Critically injured Surya was admitted to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (City/Trans-Hindon) Dhaval Jaiswal said.
“Five individuals were named as accused in this case. Immediately after the incident, the police arrested three of the accused, while the main accused, Asad, remained at large. Several police teams were constituted to apprehend him, and a reward of Rs 50,000 was announced for his capture,” Jaiswal said.
Joint Operation
According to Jaiswal, police had received intelligence that Asad was preparing to flee the area after collecting money from associates.
“Acting on this information, the police set up barricades at multiple locations and launched an intensive checking drive. During this operation, Asad was spotted approaching on a motorcycle along with an aide,” Jaiswal said.
“When the police attempted to intercept him, he opened fire on the police team. The police returned fire, during which Asad sustained critical gunshot injuries. The injured Asad was transported to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead,” he added.
Police said a motorcycle used by Asad and a weapon were recovered from the encounter site.
Officials said Asad’s aide managed to flee the scene during the encounter. A combing operation is currently underway to trace and apprehend the aide.
Further legal proceedings are being carried out in the case, police added.
Following Chauhan’s death, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had said the killers would not be spared and face the strictest punishment under the law.
BSP chief Mayawati described the incident as “extremely tragic and worrying” and demanded strict action against those responsible.
(With inputs from agencies)
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