Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday ordered strict action against cow slaughter, unlawful trade in cattle and illegal slaughterhouses, while declaring after a security review that Monday’s mob violence in Bulandshahr in which a police inspector and a villager were killed was due to a conspiracy.
His instructions were conveyed by Chief Secretary Anup Pandey to the Magistrates and Superintendents of Police of all 75 districts through a video link, an official release said.
DGP O.P. Singh questioned the timing of the cow slaughter allegations at Mahav.
On Monday, a mob of some 400 people, including right-wing activists, rampaged through the Chingrawathi police outpost apparently after cow carcasses were found strewn in a jungle nearby.
The police have arrested four people in connection with the violence.
Meanwhile with the men of their households either on the run or behind bars, women from the families of the accused in the criminal case registered in relation to rioting at the Chigrawati police outpost have alleged they were being forced to bear the brunt of the allegations against them and had been abused – both verbally and physically – by the local police.
Male police personnel, according to the female relatives of the accused, went on the rampage across the four villages to “avenge the death” of Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh. “They kicked down our door well after midnight, dragged me out, manhandled me and demanded the whereabouts of my husband,” alleged Preeti Kumari, the wife of Raj Kumar on whose agricultural field the bovine carcasses were discovered in the Mahav village.
“I kept pleading with them, telling them that I had no clue for which I was beaten with a lathi after they broke the windshields of our car. There were no women police personnel,” she alleged.
This, even as the female relatives of Yogesh Raj alleged they were “assaulted” by male police personnel but were to scared to ask for protection from senior police officials in Bulandshahr.
Ex-gratia for victim
The CM has meanwhile announced an ex gratia of ₹10 lakh to the family of Sumit, the youth who was shot dead during the mob violence. After a high-level meeting late on Tuesday, Mr. Adityanath issued a statement, saying he had instructed officials to take “tough action” against those involved in cow slaughter, and “all those involved”, whether directly or indirectly, “should be arrested in a time-bound manner.”
The FIR filed for alleged cow slaughter against seven Muslims, including two minors, came under scrutiny after some of them claimed innocence and Yogesh Raj, who filed the complaint, contradicted his stand in the video message. The CM also instructed all District Magistrates and district police chiefs to implement anti-cow slaughter laws and the shutting down of illegal slaughterhouses in the State.
2 minors booked?
Two residents of the Syana village, on Tuesday evening claimed, police have picked up two minors aged seven and 11 years, on charges of cow slaughter. The police have booked five other Muslims under various sections, including the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1995, based on a complaint filed by Bajrang Dal member Yogesh Raj. When contacted SSP Bulandshahr did not dismiss the theory but also did not confirm it. "We are verifying the facts," had said SSP Krishna B. Singh.
IPS Association condemns attack
The IPS Association condemned the "lethal attack on inspector Subodh Singh, and said they "recognise his bravery & risks police officers are exposed to because of disruptive mob mobilisations."
"We demand strongest action against perpetrators & instigators," the IPS Association tweeted.
Om Prakash Rajbhar, a cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath government and president of the SBSP, a BJP ally, however directly blamed the right-wing groups.
He said the incident was a “conspiracy” by the VHP and its affiliates to instigate a communal riot to polarize voters.
“And it is unfortunate that people of VHP, Bajrang Dal and BJP had gone there with the intention of rioting... Hindu-muslim. And an inspector became a victim of that,” said Mr. Rajbhar.
( With inputs from Jatin Anand, PTI )
