11 troopers booked for killing men during clash

LUCKNOW - Eleven troopers of the paramilitary Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) have been booked for killing two villagers during a clash in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur district, police said Tuesday, a day after the incident.

“We registered a case of murder late Monday against 11 SSB personnel, including Deputy Commandant Manjit Singh,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Vivek Chandra told reporters in Lakhimpur.

The dispute started after some troopers in a vehicle tried to overtake a Bolero jeep carrying villagers. The SSB vehicle could not overtake the Bolero and followed it till it stopped at Trikolia village, about 200 km from here.

The verbal duel that followed snowballed into a clash that saw troopers open fire, killing two men and injuring two.

“Action against more SSB personnel could also be taken as the inquiry is still underway. Moreover, a magisterial probe is also being carried out separately on the directions of the district authorities,” Chandra said.

According to police, a first information report (FIR) has not been registered against the villagers on the complaint of SSB troopers, who alleged that they were held captive by the local residents for several hours.

“The allegations levelled by the SSB troopers are yet to be established. An inquiry is also on in this regard,” said Chandra.