By Abhro Banerjee,News18

Copyright news18

Gorakhpur police on Wednesday said a cattle smuggler linked to the murder of 20-year-old NEET aspirant Deepak Gupta was shot in the leg during an encounter. The accused, Raheem, has been arrested.
The development comes a day after the killing triggered outrage in the city. On Tuesday night, Uttar Pradesh Police’s Additional Director, UP, General (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash rushed to Gorakhpur to review the situation. He inspected the crime scene at Jungle Dhooshan Chauraha, met the victim’s family and assured them of strict action. Officials said a detailed report will be submitted to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Yash also chaired a high-level meeting with senior officers, including the district magistrate and the senior superintendent of police, at the Circuit House. He directed the police to “take the toughest possible action” against all those involved in the killing.
To maintain order, a heavy deployment of forces remained in place overnight, and a flag march was carried out in the locality to reassure residents and prevent unrest.

Officials said the violence in Gorakhpur began late Monday night when 10–12 alleged cattle smugglers, travelling in two pickup vans, attempted to break into a furniture shop owned by a local trader.
Deepak Gupta, the trader’s 20-year-old son and a NEET aspirant, rushed to the spot on a scooter to raise an alarm. Other villagers soon followed. The alleged smugglers opened fire while trying to flee and dragged Deepak into one of their vehicles. His blood-soaked body was later found about four kilometres away. Police said he died of a severe head injury and ruled out gunshot wounds.
Angry villagers caught one suspect, set his vehicle ablaze and thrashed him. When police reached the scene to rescue the injured man, the crowd pelted stones, injuring Superintendent of Police (North) Jitendra Srivastava and Pipraich SHO.
The incident led Gorakhpur police to suspend the in-charge and the entire staff of the Jungle Dhusar police outpost for “serious negligence and indifference towards duty.” A departmental inquiry has also been ordered.
Tensions flared again on Tuesday during Deepak’s funeral, when villagers hurled stones at PAC personnel, forcing them to retreat.
Family Demands Compensation, Govt Job
Deepak’s family has demanded ₹1 crore compensation, a government job, and the death penalty for the accused. His grieving mother alleged that her son could have been saved had police acted swiftly.
District Magistrate Deepak Meena called the murder “extremely tragic” and said the family’s demands were under consideration. Senior officials have been deployed in the village to maintain calm and prevent further violence.