"My family is under threat. If in the future anything untoward happens to me or my husband, Chandan Verma will be responsible," read the FIR lodged by Poonam Bharti, wife of Dalit teacher Sunil Kumar, on August 18, 2024.
An FIR dated August 18, 2024, lodged by Poonam Bharti against Chandan Verma for stalking and molestation is suspected to be the driving factor behind a chilling murder. On late Thursday evening, a Dalit teacher, his wife and their two children were shot dead by unidentified miscreants at their house near densely populated Ahorwa Bhavani crossing under Shivrat Ganj Police Station of Amethi, Uttar Pradesh (UP).
The postmortem of teacher Sunil Kumar, his wife, and their two young daughters, aged 5 years and 18 months, which was conducted in the wee hours of Friday, revealed that Sunil was shot three times, his wife twice, and their daughters were each shot once.
However, the late evening shootout caused panic in the area, prompting all senior police officials, including Lucknow zone ADG SB Shiradkar and Ayodhya range IG Praveen Kumar to rush to the crime scene in Amethi. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued directives to take strictest action against those involved in the crime. An STF team led by deputy superintendent of police Dharmesh Kumar Shahi reached the spot to help in the investigation.
The deceased have been identified as Sunil Kumar, 35, his wife Poonam Bharti, 33, and their two minor daughters Drishti, 5, and Lado (18 months).
What the August 18 FIR Said
“My family is under threat. If in the future anything untoward happens to me or my husband, Chandan Verma will be responsible,” read the FIR lodged by Poonam Bharti, wife of Dalit teacher Sunil Kumar, on August 18, 2024. The complaint, filed under relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita for alleged stalking and molestation, accused Chandan Verma, a resident of Teliya Kot, Rae Bareli, of harassment.
“During her visit to Sumitra Hospital in Rae Bareli to get medicine for her child, Chandan behaved indecently with her. When she objected, he slapped her and her husband, threatening to kill her,” the FIR further read.
In her FIR, Bharti had stated that Chandan, who had threatened her earlier also, used abusive, caste-related remarks and warned her against reporting him, saying he would kill her if she did. The FIR also mentioned that Chandan had threatened her previously, and she expressed grave concern for her family’s safety. She urged the authorities to take immediate action to protect her and her husband from further harm.
Old rivalry being investigated as possible motive
“Initial investigation revealed that Sunil Kumar’s wife, Poonam Bharti, had filed an FIR against one Chandan Verma for alleged stalking and molestation in Rae Bareli on August 18. In the FIR, sections under the SC/ST Act for atrocities against Dalits were also applied. Poonam Bharti had expressed fear of being murdered by the accused, stating that Chandan Verma would be responsible if anything happened to her or her husband,” confirmed Anoop Singh, Superintendent of Police (SP), Amethi.
Singh said that since deceased Sunil Kumar was a native of Rae Bareli (Sudamapur village under Gadaganj police station limits), an angle of old rivalry or dispute is also being investigated as a possible motive.
The murder which rocked UP
Thursday evening started like any other for residents near Ahorwa Bhavani crossing under Shivrat Ganj Police Station in Amethi, UP. Being a rural area, the locality typically became deserted in the evenings. However, the quiet was shattered by a series of gunshots, prompting people to rush outside. “The crime occurred near Bhawani Nagar intersection when a group of assailants stormed into the home of teacher Sunil Kumar, who was posted at Panhona Primary School in Singhpur block, and opened indiscriminate fire,” said SP Amethi.
The SP said that the bodies of the couple – Sunil (35) and his wife Poonam (33) – were found near a water tap, suggesting they had tried to escape after spotting the attackers inside their home. The bullet-riddled bodies of their two children – Drishti (5) and Lado (18 months) – were discovered inside a room. The police found 9 shells from the house, which means 9 rounds of firing took place, out of which 7 bullets hit the family. All four victims were taken to CHC Singhpur where doctors declared all of them dead.
The police have launched a thorough investigation, forming multiple teams to track down the assailants responsible for the brutal crime.
The neighbours’ account
Ram Manohar Yadav, the owner of a shop near Sunil Kumar’s house, said, “On hearing the sound, we called the nearby people, and everyone came. The police were already at the intersection and arrived quickly. We heard nine gunshots but couldn’t see how or from where the attackers came. There’s a back entrance to the house, which is broken and under construction, so they might have entered from there. Master sahab was very simple. He had been living here for two to three months and didn’t have much interaction with anyone,” Yadav said.
Neighbour Sajjan Shukla, a close friend of Sunil Kumar, expressed his shock and disbelief. “Sunil was a very good friend. He had just come home 15 days ago, and everything seemed fine. I don’t know how this happened,” he said.
The post-mortem report
On Friday morning, the post-mortem of teacher Sunil Kumar, his wife, and their two young daughters, was conducted. The examination revealed that Sunil was shot three times, his wife twice, and their daughters were each shot once. The postmortem was carried out in the early hours under tight security due to the sensitive nature of the case. Following the procedure, the bodies were prepared and sent to Rae Bareli, the family’s native place, for the final rites.
Family in Shock
The tragic murder of the entire family has left the community in shock and raised concerns over the brutal nature of the attack.
Sunil’s father, Ramgopal Kumar, who is still finding it hard to believe, said he worked as a labourer to educate his two sons. “My elder son lives in Mumbai, while Sunil, the younger one, had recently taken his family to Amethi after securing a teaching job. Recently, too, Sunil was surrounded by miscreants but was saved by the locals, leading him to file a police case. But today, when the police inspector came to question us, we feared something terrible had happened to my son. My whole family is destroyed,” he said.
Who was Sunil Kumar?
Sunil Kumar, an assistant teacher at PM Shri Vidyalaya Panhauna, lived with his wife Poonam Bharti and their two daughters, in a rented house at Ahorwa Bhavani crossing under Shivrat Ganj police station, Amethi. Originally from Sudamapur village in Rae Bareli district, Sunil (34) was the younger son of Ram Gopal.
Sunil’s father told News18 that Sunil secured a government job in the Basic Education Department on December 10, 2020. Sunil joined Panhauna Primary School on March 12, 2021, 62 km from Amethi district headquarters. For the past three months, Sunil had been renting a house owned by Munna Awasthi in Amethi.
UP CM issues strict directives against the miscreants
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assured that strict action would be taken against the culprits involved in the murder case. To expedite the investigation, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has been deployed. Deputy SP DK Shahi, known for his successful encounter with Mangesh Yadav, an accused in the Sultanpur robbery, has been dispatched to the crime scene with his team to gather evidence and ensure a swift resolution to the case.
How the murder took a political turn
The horrifying incident has sparked turmoil in UP’s political circles, prompting the opposition to question the state’s law and order situation. Amethi MP Kishori Lal Sharma said that he had spoken with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi about the tragedy in the Shivratanganj area. “Rahul ji has asked me to look into this incident. I am keeping a close watch on the matter and have already spoken to the father of the deceased. We have communicated with the DM of Amethi to ensure we get to the bottom of this incident and that those involved are punished. The police are actively searching for the criminals,” Sharma stated.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took to social media, posting, “Is anyone there? Is anyone there?” and expressed discontent with the ruling party stating that they do not want the BJP.
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati also commented, calling the brutal murder of the Dalit family “very sad and worrying.” She urged the government to take strict action against the culprits and local police to instill fear among criminals.
Rahul Gandhi expressed solidarity with the victims, stating, “We are with the victims and Dalits.”
