Absconding for 30 days, Bulandshahr main accused held
MEERUT: A key accused in the December 3 mob violence at Siyana in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr, which left a police inspector and a local resident dead, has been arrested.
Yogesh Raj, a local Bajrang Dal functionary, was arrested on Wednesday night from Khurja, around 20 km from Bulandshahr, a month after inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and Sumit Kumar were killed in the violence. The mob violence was triggered in Siyana after cattle carcasses were allegedly found there. “Raj has been arrested. He is undergoing a medical examination and would be produced in a local court...,” news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted circle officer (Siyana) Raghvendra Kumar Mishra as saying.
Bajrang Dal vowed to stand by Raj and said 10 lawyers would represent him. “They will be available for his legal aid and all support would be given to him,” PTI quoted Bajrang Dal’s Western Uttar Pradesh unit co-convenor, Praveen Bhati, as saying.
Raj’s neighbours said police brought him to his village around midnight and recovered his phone from the possession of one of his friends. A police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the calls Raj made on the day of violence and earlier would be examined to ascertain his involvement.
Bulandshahr senior police superintendent Prabhakar Choudhary said Raj’s interrogation was underway.
Police had booked 27 people, including ruling Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Shikhar Agarwal, and Vishva Hindu Parishad activist, Upendra Raghav, for the violence. As many as 60 other unidentified people were also named in the case. Raj was named as the prime accused.
Raj and Agarwal released their videos a few days after the violence to plead their innocence. They later went underground. Choudhary said 32 accused have so far been arrested and raids were being conducted to arrest the rest. Bajrang Dal’s Satish and Vineet, who were also named in case, surrendered to a local court in Bulandshahar on Wednesday.