Bareilly (UP), Sep 26 Four men have been sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment by a court here in connection with the 2017 murder of a farmer, officials said on Saturday.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Kuldeep Kumar on Friday convicted Sherpal, Radheshyam, Rajveer and Rambabu in the nearly nine-year-old case and also imposed a total fine of Rs 88,000, according to police.
The case dates back to February 22, 2017, when Om Prakash, a resident of Saidapur village under Faridpur police station, lodged an FIR alleging that his brother Harishankar alias Bhure was working in a field at around 4 pm.
Harishankar’s wife Shakuntala, nephew Mahesh and mother Omwati were also present in the field at the time, the complaint said.
According to the prosecution, Sherpal, Radheshyam, Rajveer and Rambabu reached the field armed with weapons and allegedly opened fire at Harishankar with an intention to kill him. He sustained a gunshot injury and died at the spot.
When Shakuntala tried to intervene, the accused allegedly assaulted her with the butt of a country-made pistol, causing an injury to her eye, the prosecution said.
The accused fled from the spot after villagers reached the area on hearing the commotion, police said.
An FIR was registered at Faridpur police station under Sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult) of the Indian Penal Code.
The prosecution, represented by Additional District Government Counsel Rajeshwari Gangwar, examined 10 witnesses during the trial.
The court ordered that the convicts would undergo additional imprisonment in case of non-payment of the fines.
(PTI News)
