At least 14 people, including Superintendent of Police (City) Mukul Dwivedi and Farha Station House Officer (SHO) Santosh Kumar Yadav were killed when activists of Swadheen Bharat Subhash Sena (SBSS) opened fire at the police party during an anti-encroachment drive in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura town. More than 100 people, including the city magistrate Ram Araj Yadav, were also injured in the clashes.

The officials said that, the clashes broke out when police were trying to evict encroachment of a land in Jawahar Bagh by activists, believed to be of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi. UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has ordered a probe into the incident. CM ordered  Principal Secretary (Home) and Director General of Police to investigate the incident personally. The UP Chief Minister announced Rs 20 lakh ex gratia to the family of the killed police official.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured all possible help from the Centre. "Anguished over the loss of lives in the incidents of violence in Mathura.May God gives strength to the bereaved families to bear the loss," Singh tweeted.

According to the IG (Law and Order) H R Sharma, the encroachers threw hand-grenades and bombs at the police and beat up many of them. Ram Vraksha Yadav, leader of the activists, and the security officer of the group Chandan Gaur managed to flee along with thousands of their supporters

Also read: RSS to oppose Goa’s heritage fest

Nandini