Uttar Pradesh: Over 20 kids, held hostage, freed; criminal killed
What's the story
Nearly 23 children, who were held hostage by a murder accused in Uttar Pradesh's Farukkhabad, have been rescued, and the criminal, who put them through the horror, killed.
The stand-off between cops and the man, identified as Subhash Batham, lasted for nearly 10 hours on Thursday.
Before the encounter, police tried reasoning with Batham, but to no avail.
Read on to know what happened.
Beginning
Under pretext of birthday party, he held children hostage
The incident took place in Karthiya village when Batham invited over 20 children to his house to "celebrate" his daughter's birthday and then locked them inside.
Among those who were held hostage were his wife Ruby and their daughter.
When the children didn't return to their respective houses, parents approached Batham's home, only to be turned away.
Attack
Cops were met with stones and crude bomb
On realizing the enormity of the situation, the locals then informed police, who rushed to the spot to save the children.
But to thwart police's attempt, Batham fired from inside and pelted stones, injuring at least two police officers.
Some reports said Batham, who is booked in four cases, also hurled a crude bomb, forcing police to frame a new strategy.
Planning
Apparently, he was miffed after being denied a house
To put the criminal away, Anti-Terrorism Squad and a team led by Kanpur Zone Inspector General, Mohit Agarwal, were sent to the spot.
According to HT, Batham was furious after being denied house and toilet under the Central Housing scheme for the poor. He had also sent a letter to the district magistrate in this regard.
The document hinted he planned everything, well in advance.
Attack
One villager was shot too, police remained cautious
Besides cops, Batham also fired shots at Satish Chandra Dubey, who lives in the same village. The bullet hit his leg and he was shifted to a nearby hospital.
Some locals said Batham was yelling that he has been wrongly framed.
About the incident, UP Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh said the police were being cautious to end the crisis, without collateral damage.
Quote
Rescuing children at earliest was police's motive
"Our priority is to ensure the safety of the children and rescue them at the earliest. It is a difficult situation. We want to rescue the children without any collateral damage. The local legislator, Nagendra Singh, also tried to talk to the man," Singh said.
Encounter
Batham was killed in an encounter: Singh
Further, Singh said all senior cops decided to attack Batham after becoming sure of his firing capabilities.
"We tried entering the house when Batham was killed during the encounter," Singh added. Police believe the 38-year-old criminal was mentally disturbed.
Notably, the hostage crisis was being closely monitored by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as well. He held a high-level meeting with top officials.
Release
High Court had given him bail, came out month ago
Additional Superintendent of Police, Fatehgarh, Tribhuwan Singh, said High Court had given bail to Batham.
Separately, Harbeer Singh, the husband of village pradhan Shashi, said, "Around two months back, Subhash was arrested in a robbery case. He came out of jail a month ago."
Batham's relatives were also called, but when he shut all doors of negotiation, he was shot dead.
Quote
Cops who carried out the operation will be rewarded
UP Additional Chief Secretary Awanish K Awasthi said Adityanath has announced Rs. 10 lakh reward for the team that ended the crisis and saved the kids. "All personnel who took part in operation will be given a certificate of appreciation," Awasthi added.