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Main accused of Bulandshahr violence that claimed a cop’s life released on bail
Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, the prime accused in the December 2018 Bulandshahr violence, was released from the district jail of Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday morning, after the Allahabad high court granted him bail.
Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, the prime accused in the December 2018 Bulandshahr violence, was released from the district jail of Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday morning, after the Allahabad high court granted him bail.
Police personnel were deployed outside the jail. Sources said this was done to ensure that nobody celebrated his release, as activists of some Hindutva organisations had earlier celebrated the release of other people accused in the case.
However, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Bulandshahr, Santosh Kumar Singh denied that cops were given any direction to prevent celebrations. “ No such order was given to the police personnel.”
He said that Raj had decided to go to his relatives’ place in a village of Kotwali area instead of his native place --Nayagaon in Syana area of Bulandshahr.
Yogesh Raj is the prime accused in the violence that rocked Syana area of Bulandshahar on December 3, last year, after reports surfaced that cows had been slaughter in nearby village Mahav, under Chingrawathi police chowki limits, a day earlier.
A mob had torched the Chingrawathi police post as well as many vehicles. The violence also claimed the life of Syana police station’s SHO Subodh Kumar Singh and a villager.
Later, the state government had ordered a special investigation team (SIT), headed by the then IG of Meerut range, to probe into the case.
The SIT had arrested 44 people and booked them under sedition charges. These included Raj and some leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party. So far, 35 out of these 44 accused have been granted bail.
Earlier, inspector Subodh Kumar Singh’s widow had raised a question over the accused being released on bail.
