Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday announced Rs 10 lakh for the family of the policeman allegedly killed by SIMI activists who escaped from the Bhopal Central Jail.
After attending the funeral of Ramashankar Yadav, who was posted in the prison, Chouhan also said that Rs 5 lakh would be given for his daughter’s marriage.
Reacting to allegations that the alleged shootout of Monday which killed the eight SIMI activists may be fake, Chouhan said the “matter should not be politicised”. “Some people are doing vote bank politics on this matter which is highly condemnable. One must refrain from such things,” Chouhan told the media on the sidelines of Yadav’s funeral.
“Some political leaders cannot recognize the martyrdom of our jawans. It is painful,” he added. “They cannot see Ramashankar’s sacrifice.” Chouhan said if need be the government would spend more on the wedding of Yadav’s daughter that was scheduled to be held on December 9.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Police DGP Yogesh Chaudhary told reporters on Monday evening that the Students Islamic Movement of India activists were housed in two barracks and were among a total of 29 SIMI undertrials housed in the jail. They used toothbrush and other material to make keys to the barrack doors, slit the throat of jail warden Ramashankar Yadav and tied up another jail staffer Chandan Singh before scaling the 25-feet high prison wall with the help of bedsheets, the Director General of Police said.
He said that police encircled the fleeing undertrials near Khejra nullah in Gunga police station area, following which the eight allegedly fired on the police team and also attacked them with sharp-edged weapons. The DGP said three police personnel were injured in the attack, adding that police fired 43 rounds to kill the eight SIMI activists. Four countrymade pistols and three knives were seized from the killed persons, Chaudhary said. No mobile phone was seized.
When the media asked questions regarding the clothes and shoes worn by the eight men and claims of villagers that the men were not armed, the DGP said these issues were a matter of inquiry. He said the facts emerging from the ongoing inquiry into the incident would be shared with the media.
Meanwhile, a police officer said that videos of the encounter that have surfaced are being examined to ascertain whether they are genuine.
(The authenticity of the above video has not been verified)
