Mathura: A fire breaks out after clashes between the police and encroachers in Jawaharbagh on Thursday. (File Photo) Mathura: A fire breaks out after clashes between the police and encroachers in Jawaharbagh on Thursday. (File Photo)

Ram Vriksh Yadav, the alleged mastermind behind the Mathura clashes, is among those killed in the violence, police said on Saturday, as the toll mounted to 27 with three more persons succumbing to injuries.

“Ram Vriksha Yadav was the leader of over 3,000 people who belonged to a cult founded by him, which he named Swadhin Bharat Vidhik Satyagrah. He was one among those who died during the violence on Thursday. His body was identified by his supporters on Saturday,” said Mathura SP (City) in-charge Ashutosh Dwivedi.

State DGP Javeed Ahmed told The Indian Express that Yadav’s aides were shown the photographs of his charred body. “They were not shown the body. Though we were almost sure that the body was of Ram Vriksha Yadav, we were waiting for a final confirmation,” he said.

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Police said protestors lit several cooking gas cylinders, leading to a huge explosion and causing most of the deaths. Initially, Yadav — hailing from Raipur Baghpur village in Ghazipur district — had appeared to be among those killed in the fire. Ahmed said eight of the 11 charred bodies were identified on Saturday.

Chief Medical Officer Vivek Mishra said several other bodies are yet to be identified. “The bodies have to be kept for 72 hours in the mortuary, which will end on Sunday evening, and later postmortem will be done… While 18 bodies are in Mathura district centre, seven are in Agra,” he said.

VIDEO: Mathura Clashes Kill 24 Including 2 Policeman

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday raised the compensation amount to the next of kin of two slain police officers in Mathura clash from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

He also announced extraordinary pension to the families of two martyred policemen — SP (City) Mukul Dwivedi and SHO (Farah) Santosh Yadav — and job to one member from each family. The special pension will be same as the salary and allowances that the martyred officials would have got had they been alive, an official statement said, adding the dependents will get the family pension from the dates on which the two slain officials would have retired.

With ENS, Lucknow

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