Budaun killer's father, uncle detained, brother on the run

The man who allegedly murdered two children at their home in Budaun knew the family and had gone there seeking money for payment to a hospital where his pregnant wife was admitted, the FIR said.

Hours after the murder on Tuesday evening, the accused Sajid (22) was gunned down in an encounter with the police, IG Bareilly range RK Singh told PTI.

The police on Wednesday detained the father and uncle of the accused.

The other accused, Sajid's brother Javed, is absconding, the police said.

Sajid, who had recently opened a barber shop in the locality, allegedly attacked three brothers -- Ayush,12, Ahaan alias Honey, 8, and Yuvraj, 10, with a knife. Ayush and Ahaan died in the attack, while Yuvraj was rushed to a hospital with grievous wounds.

After the incident, Sajid's shop was set on fire. Some other shops nearby and a motorcycle were also vandalised by local people and the boys' family members.

The FIR, based on the complaint by the victims' father Vinod Kumar, said Sajid and his brother Javed reached the house at around 7 pm.

Sajid told his wife that he needed Rs 5,000 to pay the hospital for the delivery of his child.

When the wife went inside to get the money, Sajid went to the rooftop of the house. Moments later, Javed also reached the rooftop and they called Ayush and Ahaan, according to the complaint.

The accused attacked the minors with a sharp knife. When they came downstairs, Sangeeta saw that their clothes were drenched in blood.

According to the FIR, one of them said,  "I have done my work today".

The accused also attacked the third son Yuvraj who had gone upstairs to fetch some water. Yuvraj is admitted in hospital and his condition is said to be stable.

The boys' father, who is a private contractor, was out of the district at the time of the incident. Apart from his wife Sangeeta, his mother was present at the house.

The police have also not confirmed the motive behind the incident. They have booked both Javed and Sajid for murder (under IPC Section 302 IPC).

"We have detained one Babu, the father of Sajid and Javed and their uncle Kayamuddin for questioning. The move is part of our efforts to arrest Javed who is absconding," said Budaun's Senior Superintendent of Police Alok Priyadarshi.

According to the boys' mother, two men had come to their house. Sajid was upstairs when the incident happened while Javed was waiting outside, she said.

Sajid told her that he was feeling uneasy due to the delivery of his child as five children in his family had previously died and no one survived. ”I also offered him tea,” she said.

Sajid killed the two boys and also attacked the third child, the mother added.

According to Munni Devi, the victims' grandmother, the accused said he was feeling alone due to his wife's pregnancy. "We don't know why he killed the children," she added.

Nazarin, the mother of the accused, said that her sons have faced the consequences of their actions.

"I don't know what was going on in their minds. They do not have any rivalry with anyone. I feel very sad for the children to whom this has been done," she told PTI Videos.

When asked about the police encounter, she added, "They faced the right consequence for their wrong actions."

Some right-wing Hindu groups staged a protest against the double murder on Wednesday morning.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed the Uttar Pradesh government in the state, saying the children's lives could have been save if the police had done their job.

”They (BJP government) can't hide their shortcomings. This encounter is not going to hide their failure, " he said referring to the encounter during which Sajid was shot dead

SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav who is also the party's nominee for the upcoming Lok Sabha poll in Budaun, slammed the government, saying law and order has totally failed  in the state.

"The incident in Budaun is very saddening," he told reporters.

On the encounter, he said, "I congratulate the district and police administration for the action but the truth behind the incident must also come out."

BJP MP from Budaun, Sanghamitra Maurya, visited the victims' house and assured them her full support. "I condemn the murder of the two minor boys,” she said.

Referring to SP leaders’ remarks on the incident, Maurya said this was no time to do politics.

"Samajwadi Party is doing politics on the issue because its so-called fort of Budaun was demolished by the people in 2019. The SP candidate must have seen that there was no one asking about him in Budaun today. This is why they are doing politics on the issue," Maurya said.

Maurya defeated SP's Dharmendra Yadav in the last Lok Sabha elections.

The last rites of the two boys were performed after a post-mortem examination in the morning. There was heavy police presence at Kachchla Ghat during the rites, officials said.

There is a heavy police deployment in the area.