Key suspect in cop’s murder identifies several rioters
MEERUT: Army man Jeetendra Malik alias Jeetu Fauji, a key suspect in the killing of inspector Subodh Kumar Singh during the recent Bulandshahr violence on December 3, has identified a few more rioters seen in video clips of the mayhem that also saw one youth dying of injuries.
Those identified include a few youths of Mahaw, Chingrawathi, Nayagaon, Nayabaans and other villages. Till now, they were not known to the investigators. The investigating team will include these names in the ongoing case to ensure their arrest, along with 27 other named and over 60 unidentified rioters.
Deputy superintendent of police, special task force (STF), Brajesh Kumar confirmed that Jeetu was shown video clips and identified a few people who were part of the violent mob on the day of violence. A joint team of the special investigating team (SIT) of the STF and crime branch interrogated Jeetu for over five hours at Syana Kotwali and cross checked his revelations with available data and locations of his mobile phone. He admitted being present on the spot but denied his involvement in the inspector’s murder. Like other rioters, he was also seen instigating the crowed in a video clip but police have no evidence against him about his involvement in the killing. Jeetu’s lawyer Sanjay Sharma also pleaded before the remand magistrate on Sunday that mere presence on the spot could not be taken as evidence for imposing Sections 302 and 307 on him and opposed his police remand.
Police have registered a case against 27 named and over 60 unidentified rioters in connection with the violence. AGRA: In a condolence message to the family of station house officer (SHO) Subodh Kumar Singh, killed in Bulandshahr violence on December 3, Congress president Rahul Gandhi blamed increasing religious polarisation by ‘regressive forces’ for the incident.
“The Congress president’s letter was received on Monday. We appreciate his gesture,” said Abhishek Pratap Singh, the slain cop’s younger son. The letter, dated December 6, is addressed to Abhishek. At present, the family is in Taregawan, Singh’s paternal village in Etah district. In his letter, Gandhi said that it was “a matter of national shame that those tasked with upholding the rule of law are being killed in the name of religion”. He further alleged that “religious polarisation is increasingly being used by regressive forces to gain political mileage”.in the letter, Gandhi appreciated Singh for his courage and integrity, saying that bullets cannot silence such patriotism and commitment to humanity.
Abhishek said he would write a letter of thanks to Gandhi.
“Although an entire organisation cannot be blamed for the act of an individual, the organisations named should also come clear and avoid shielding the individuals suspected of killing my father. Even after a week, our wait for justice continues,” he said. ‘We do not want to indulge in a blame game, but the government certainly has a lot to answer for...,” he added.
The killings in the mob violence have been widely condemned by the opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh. The police have filed two FIRS – one in the mob violence case and the other over the alleged cow slaughter that allegedly led to mob violence.