Yogi promises justice to slain cop’s family
Now, video of wanted BJP leader emerges
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday met the family members of inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, who was killed in the Bulandshahr violence, and assured strict action against the culprits, even as Meerut inspector general (IG) Ram Kumar said “who was behind cow slaughter” was the bigger question in the case.
The IG’s comments come a day after Adityanath ordered strict action against cow slaughter, unlawful trade in cattle and illegal slaughterhouses. The chief minister on Wednesday had said the district magistrate and other senior police officials of a district will be held personally responsible for any lapse.
Adityanath on Thursday also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in New Delhi to invite him to several events scheduled in the state, a government spokesperson said. It is not known whether the Bulandshahr incident was discussed.
We can only act on evidence. We need to do forensic tests. It is not clear who shot the police officer, who shot Sumit (the villager killed in the violence),” IG Kumar told news channel NDTV. “But who was behind cow slaughter...who was behind the cow conspiracy. This is a bigger question...” Ram Kumar said.
A day after Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, the key accused in the case, appeared in a video claiming innocence in the Bulandshahr mob violence, a video of another accused surfaced on Thursday. In the latest video, Shikhar Agarwal, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Syana unit youth wing president and among the 27 people named in the first person report (FIR) registered by the police, claimed it was inspector Singh who created tension by stopping him and others from taking some carcasses to the Chingrawathi police post for filing an FIR over the alleged cow slaughter.
Agarwal is heard claiming that Singh threatened to kill him and his aides. The BJP leader also accused Singh of being “corrupt” and “siding with the Muslim community” to perpetuate cow slaughter.
After Adityanath met the family of the inspector, the government announced that a road and a college will be named after him. “The chief minister has assured us that he will remain with us in this difficult time and will ensure justice for us.
He said strict action will be taken against those involved,” the victim’s elder son Shreya Singh said.
UP director general of police OP Singh, who was also present at the meeting, said Adityanath assured the family that education and house loans taken by them would be paid off by the government.
On the ongoing probe, the DGP said, “The CM has issued an order in this regard and the guilty will be brought to book,” he said, but did not discuss it further.
Adityanath had on Monday declared compensation of ₹40 lakh for the wife, ₹10 lakh for the parents and a government job for one family member of the deceased inspector, who was the investigating officer in the Mohammed Akhlaq lynching case of 2015.
Mohammed Akhlaq was killed then over rumours about beef consumption in Dadri, UP.
At Thursday’s meeting with the chief minister, the slain police officer’s wife said he had made three arrests in a cow slaughter case the day he died. Rashmi told Adityanath that her husband could not visit home often as he remained very busy, and would call her to the police station, saying he missed her and their two sons.
The family mostly lived away from the inspector in Etah.
The officer’s younger son Abhishek said Hindu-Muslim riots should stop and the culture of mob lynching must end.
“Riots and violence should not take place. People should understand this and not take the law in their hands,” he told a news channel before the meeting with Adityanath.
The police had said on Tuesday that four men have been arrested in connection with Monday’s violence in Bulandshahr. No further arrests have been announced since.
Trouble began late on Sunday night when groups of villagers alleged cow carcasses were lying near Mahaw village. Around 11am the next day, protests against the alleged cow slaughter spun out of control and mobs of so-called cow vigilantes went on a three-hour rampage, clashing with security forces and setting vehicles and a police post on fire in Bulandshahr, just 130 km from Delhi. Five officials were injured in the scuffle.
In the melee, inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a man identified as Sumit died. Singh was first injured in the stone pelting by the mob and was later shot. Sumit, who was shot dead, was part of the mob.