Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Friday described the killing of a police inspector earlier this week in Bulandshahr as “an accident” and said no incident of mob-lynching had taken place in the state, Dainik Jagran reported. He was speaking at an event organised by the media group in New Delhi.
“There is no incident of mob-lynching in Uttar Pradesh,” he said, responding to a question on the steps taken by the state government to control mob violence. “The Bulandshahr incident is an accident and the law is taking its course. No guilty will be spared.”
Police Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was killed on Monday after mob violence erupted in Mahaw village of the district. The violence took place after residents allegedly discovered the carcasses of a cow and a calf in a field and went on a rampage. A 20-year-old civilian was also killed.
Singh’s family had initially criticised Adityanath for not visiting them after the incident. Adityanath had later expressed regret over the violence and Singh’s death and set up a Special Investigation Team to conduct inquiries in the case. Singh’s family also met the chief minister in Lucknow on Thursday, where he assured them of a timely investigation into the incident.
Several Opposition leaders, including Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati, had criticised the Adityanath-led government after the violence.
The chief minister said that cow slaughter is banned in the state and every district has been given Rs 10 lakh to build shelters for bovines. The state government had also been criticised for focusing on the complaint against cow slaughter in the wake of the Bulandshahr violence. A senior police official earlier on Friday said the police have decided to focus on the alleged incident of cow slaughter ahead of Singh’s murder.
The police so far have arrested four people – identified as Chaman, Devendra, Ashish Chauhan and Satish – for Singh’s murder. However, the main accused, Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, is yet to be arrested. Four persons have also been arrested for the alleged cow slaughter.
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