5 charged with Bulandshahr cop’s murder, saffron outfit leaders face lesser charges

Thirty three others including leaders of Bajrang Dal, BJP land the Vishwa Hindu Parishad were also named in the charge sheet for attempt to murder, inciting violence and arson.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing last December’s violence in Syana (Bulandshahr) in western Uttar Pradesh and the killing of a police inspector filed a charge sheet on Saturday in a local court naming five men for the murder and 33 others including Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, BJP leader Shikhar Agarwal and VHP leader Upendra Raghav for inciting violence and arson.

Police Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh of Syana police station in UP’s Bulandshahr was lynched by a mob on December 3, 2018. (PTI)

The SIT submitted a 3,400-page case diary and 103-page charge sheet against the 38 accused in the court of Bulandshahar chief judicial magistrate.

Bulandshahar’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Atul Kumar Srivastava said Prashant Natt, Rahul, David, Johny and Lokendra were guilty of killing inspector Subodh Kumar Singh of Syana police station while he was trying to pacify the angry mob, near Chingrawathi village, after an incident of cow slaughter in the night of December 2 last year.

A village youth named Sumit also sustained bullet injury in the violence and died on way to hospital.

Srivastava said the 33 other accused, including Yogesh Raj, Shikhar Agarwal, Upendra Raghav and armyman named Jeetu have been charged for attempt to murder, inciting violence, arson, damaging public property etc.

“Investigation against one accused, who is jail, was still underway,” said Srivastava adding that non-bailable warrant (NBW) had been issued against five other accused who are still at large.

The SP said investigation was on and teams were in the process of identifying those who were involved in violence.

An angry mob had blocked Bulandshahar- Garhmukteshwar road near Chnigrawthi police post in Syana area on December 3 protesting an incident of cow slaughter in nearby Mahav village in the night of December 2. Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh reached at the spot and made a futile attempt to pacify the mob and lift the blockade but they refused. When police tried to remove them forcibly, the crowd pelted stones on them and during the clash Sumit Choudhary of village Chingrawthi sustained bullet injury and died.

An angry mob then chased inspector Singh and lynched him in an open field. They also set Chingrawthi police post on fire and damaged many vehicles.