"Dhirendra Singh & his accomplices were arrested from Lucknow today. They're being questioned at an undisclosed location. Arms recovered from the possession of his accomplices. STF is gathering more information on the weapons used at the time of the incident": IG STF Amitabh Yash
Dhirendra Singh was absconding ever since a firing incident resulted in the death of Jai Prakash (46) as a heated argument broke out over the allotment of ration shops at an event attended by the local police and administration.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Surendra Singh, who has openly supported Dhirendra Pratap and said that he had fired in self-defence, had demanded an FIR against those who attacked the accused
Ballia incident
A local BJP leader Dhirendra Pratap Singh shot dead Jai Prakash, 46, on October 15 as a fracas broke out during a meeting at Durjanpur village in the presence of administration and police officials in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district.
Till Oct 17, a total of five people were arrested and another five detained in connection with the Ballia killing incident. Also, 12 teams have been formed to nab the main accused, including local BJP leader Dhirendra Pratap Singh. It is to be noted that Uttar Pradesh Police had announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 on their arrest.
On Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh Police said that those accused in the killing of a 46-year-old man in UP's Ballia will be charged under the National Security Act and the Gangster Act.
Under the NSA, one can be detained without a charge for up to 12 months if the authorities are satisfied that the person is a threat to national security or law and order.
Under Section 14 of the Gangsters Act, a district magistrate can order attachment of a property, whether movable or immovable, if there is reason to believe that it has been acquired by a gangster as commission for an offence triable under this law.
"I have not fired any bullet": Dhirendra Singh
Two days after the shooting incident, the accused came out with a video claiming that he did not fire at anyone. Instead, he accused police and local administration of corruption and mismanagement.
In the video, Dhirendra Pratap Singh said, "I have not fired any bullet. A proper investigation should be carried out in this incident." He went on to say that he was attacked along with his family and he somehow managed to escape the assault and save his life.
"The ration shops were to be allotted on that day and many officials had come for the allotment process. I had met the SDM and the BDO regarding the tense situation. I had apprised them that the things were getting bad in the area," said the accused.
Dhirendra further accused the SDM, BDO, and other officials of corruption and also claimed that they were influencing the allotment process of ration shops.
He has also blamed the police and local administration for the firing incident.
Also Watch|UP STF arrests the main accused of the Ballia incident