Four people were arrested and hunt was on for a Bajrang Dal activist in connection with mob violence in Bulandshahr that left an inspector and a passerby dead, as angry families demanded action amid criticism of the UP chief minister and suggestions of conspiracies.
A mob of some 400 people, including right-wing activists, fought pitched battles with police on Monday in Siana area of Bulandshahr district, apparently after right-wing activists were angered by the discovery of cow carcasses strewn in a nearby jungle, media reports said.
They set fire to dozens of vehicles, hurled stones and also fired guns at police who retaliated with gunfire. In the violence, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, the station house officer of Siana, and 20-year-old Sumit Kumar were killed, reported PTI.
A video emerged on Tuesday showing what a young man with his hand over a bleeding wound near the abdomen, being helped by other people as they all run. Someone is heard in the audio saying the man has been shot. It was not clear if the man is Sumit Kumar, the report said.
The National Human Rights Commission issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government and the director general of police over the incident, officials reportedly said.
Police were quoted as saying that four persons were arrested, but the main suspect, Bajrang Dal district convenor Yogesh Raj, was on the run. They said 27 people have been named in the FIR while cases have been lodged against 50-60 unidentified people.
Of the 27, at least four are workers and functionaries of right-wing organisations such as Bajrang Dal, the officials reportedly said.
There was heavy deployment of security forces in the area and tension spiralled as angry families demanded justice for their kin.
There was confusion about the number of those arrested with police officials first saying four, then three and finally four again, the report pointed out.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Anand Kumar told reporters that six police teams were working on the case and trying to identify the accused by monitoring video footage. “Tension has eased in strife-torn Bulandshahr and efforts are on to ensure there is no trouble in future,” he reportedly said in Lucknow.