LUCKNOW: Armed miscreants shot dead an undertrial accused of murder inside the Aligarh district court in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday and fled.

The incident that took place in broad daylight during peak hours, triggered panic as people ran to duck stray bullets that went in all directions as the assailants fired indiscriminately till the undertrial was killed. A relative of the undertrial, accompanying him with the police escort, also suffered bullet injuries and was admitted to the district hospital.

The incident left lawyers and employees of the district court angry and they took on senior police officials who reached the site after the shootout to take stock of the situation.

The mob was angry over the manner in which the police escort fled the scene leaving the target handcuffed because of which he could not do anything to save himself.

Hoshiyar Singh, in jail in connection with the murder of a village pradhan was being brought to the court for a hearing. As Singh entered the court compound surrounded by police escort, four youths emerged and fired indiscriminately at him with sophisticated handguns. The cops escorting Singh fled, leaving him alone with his cousin.

The firing ended after Singh fell down dead and his cousin suffered a gunshot wound. The assailants then walked out of the compound unopposed.

The incident caught the lawyers and petitioners present unaware and left them agitated. The main point of protest was the role of the district police in handling Singh’s complaints who had told them in writing about a possible attempt on his life. The police had failed to take note of the complaint and no action was initiated.

The lawyers were also angry over police deployment in the city particularly because the court compound is situated barely a stone’s throw away from the official residence of the district magistrate of Aligarh and the headquarters of the district police.

Senior police officials had to face the ire of the agitated lawyers before they could be pacified with assurances of regular police presence in the court compound and immediate arrest of those who killed Singh.

