The Additional District Judge (ADJ) of a Sonbhadra fast track court has lodged an FIR against unidentified youths for allegedly engaging him in a shootout at his official residence in the wee hours of Saturday. On the complaint of ADJ Avnish Kumar Dwivedi,a case of attempt to murder under Section 307 of the IPC has been registered at the Robertsganj police station. Sonbhadra Superintendent of Police (SP) Preetinder Singh said: Further investigations would bring to light the motive behind the shootout. The youths are yet to be identified. The ADJ called up the SHO of Robertsganj police station and intimated him about the shootout. The circle officer (City) and the SHO went to the spot and launched a search in the area,said the SP. In his complaint,the ADJ stated that around 1.30 am,some persons gathered in the courtyard of his house and fired two gunshots at him. In retaliation,the ADJ claimed,he too fired at the assailants from his licenced rifle but they managed to escape by scaling the boundary wall,the SP added. A picket of armed policemen deployed at the main gates of the Judicial Officers Colony,where the ADJ resides,claimed to have not seen anyone enter or exit the area at that time of the incident,said the SP. The assailants could have entered the courtyard by scaling the boundary wall from the back side of the ADJ residence,said the SP,adding that the field unit including fingerprint experts and the dog squad has collected evidence from the spot. A picket of armed policemen accompanied by an additional 10 Homeguard constables has been deployed at the ADJ residence and an armed gunner has been attached to escort the ADJ,Singh said. On January 5,ADJ Dwivedi had awarded life imprisonment to 14 policemen including two sub-inspectors (S-Is) who were convicted for the murder of two youths in a fake encounter in Sonbhadra district on September 2,2003.
