New Delhi: The wife of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and senior block pramukh was killed after a clash broke out between local residents and personnel of Uttar Pradesh Police near Kashipur in Uttarakhand's Udham Singh Nagar district on Wednesday, October 12 evening, according to NDTV.

Five others, including two Uttar Pradesh Police personnel, were injured in the clash. The Uttarakhand Police pressed murder charges, among others, against the UP Police personnel.

The clash broke out when a team of Uttar Pradesh Police from Thakurdwara reached Bharatpur village to raid the house of Jaspur senior block pramukh Gurtaj Bhullar in search of those associated with a mining mafia.

The police team had received a tip-off that one Zafar of the mining mafia, who carries a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head, was hiding at Bhullar's house.

When the team in plain clothes reached Bhullar's house, an argument broke out. Both sides resorted to firing in which Bhullar's wife Gurpreet Kaur, who was returning home from work, was killed.

Following the incident, angry villagers blocked the highway in protest. Kashipur MLA Trilok Singh Cheema, Gadarpur MLA Arvind Pandey and former MP Balraj Passi joined the protestors.

The blockade was lifted at 11 pm after persuasion by the district police.

Udham Singh Nagar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manjunath T.C. alleged that the Uttar Pradesh Police team did not inform their Uttarakhand counterparts about the action in advance.

"The accused is a wanted criminal carrying a reward of Rs 50,000. He escaped from there (Bharatpur village). When our police team reached, they were taken hostage and their weapons were snatched," Moradabad senior cop Shalabh Mathur said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

Uttarakhand Police has also registered a case against 10-12 personnel of Uttar Pradesh Police under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 302 (murder), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 120-b (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code following a complaint filed by the family of the deceased, the SSP said.

While five policemen are being treated at a hospital, two remain missing and a hunt is on to locate them, according to NDTV.

(With PTI inputs)

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.