An advocate was killed and another seriously injured when allegedly a police sub-inspector opened fire in self-defence inside the district court premises, following which lawyers went on a rampage, hurling stones at police and administrative officials and resorting to arson.
The deceased has been identified as Roshan Ahmed, while Feroze Nabi has been admitted to a hospital after he suffered critical injuries, police spokesperson Mrityunjay Mishra said.
According to advocates present at the time of the incident, a sub-inspector opened-fire in self-defense when some lawyers threatened to beat him up, Mishra said.
He could not confirm the identity of the accused. However, advocates claimed that Sub-Inspector Shailesh Kumar Singh had opened-fire following which he fled from the spot.
The fellow lawyers went on a rampage at the district court premises where the incident had taken place at around 2 PM and as well as near the Allahabad High Court, which is situated at least five km away.
The lawyers hurled stones at police personnel and other administrative officials and resorted to vandalism and arson.
Similar scenes were witnessed at the High Court premises where advocates blocked traffic on the busy Allahabad-Kanpur Highway and torched at least four vehicles, all of them belonging to either the police or other administrative officials.
The agitation at the High Court was pacified only after a group of senior High Court judges walked to the spot and requested them to calm down even though normal flow of traffic could not be resumed on account of vehicles set ablaze on the roadside.
The High Court judges also told the advocates that they would personally visit the district court premises "to take stock of the situation".
