LUCKNOW: Based on the probe report submitted by ADG-intelligence, SB Shirodkar in connection with Bulandshahr violence, the Uttar Pradesh government shifted Bulandshahr SSP Krishna Bahadur Singh to the DGP office in Lucknow on Saturday. ADG Shirodkar had submitted his report to UP DGP OP Singh and it was handed over to CM Yogi Adityanath late on Friday evening.
The state government action against district police chief of Bulandshahr has come five days after the violence and vandalism which claimed two lives including inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Syana town over alleged slaughtering of cows and recovery of carcasses in Mahaw village of the district on last Monday morning.
However, it is not as harsh an action as was expected by the authorities in Lucknow in the matter. Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said that the Senior Superintendent of Police would be replaced by SSP, Sitapur, Prabhakar Chaudhary.
Moreover, on the expected lines following ADG Shirodkar report, two more police officials-CO Syana police station area, Satya Prakash Sharma and Chingrawati police outpost in-charge Suresh Kumar were also transferred late on Friday night. However, the state government proceeded to act against the district police officers after a closed-door meeting of senior most police officials including ADG Intelligence SB Shirodkar at police headquarters in Lucknow till late Friday night.
Notably, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a local youth, Sumit, were killed in violence over an alleged cow slaughter incident in Bualndhahr on last Monday. As has already been reported by this newspaper, the district intelligence units had cautioned the police headquarters about the possible build-up over the illegal slaughter issue in the district beforehand.
But the district administration and police authorities failed to respond to the alerts in time and situation went out of control. In fact, DM and SSP Bulandshahr reached the spot of trouble at Chingrawati police outpost after four hours of intelligence alerts. By that time the mob had swollen to the strength of over 500 and was already going on a rampage, indulging in firing, stone pelting, road blockade and arson at the outpost.
Meanwhile, after sifting through 203 videos going viral, the Bulandshahr police have arrested five more persons figuring among 27 named in violence, rioting and murder case. Till now nine persons have been arrested in the case. But the main accused Yogesh Raj, district convenor of Bajrang Dal and Shishir Agrawal, a BJP youth wing activist, are still elusive. They have been absconding since the day of trouble and releasing videos pleading innocence in the case.
While one FIR was lodged against 88 persons - 27 named rest unidentified - for rioting and violence, the other FIR was lodged against unknown persons for cow slaughter. As per the highly placed sources, the probe report also hints at a 'pre-planned build-up' in Bulandshahr.
It supposedly claims that while it was the last day of Tablighi Ijtema (muslim congregation) and lakhs of muslim devotees, present in the town, were going away. The mob 'intentionally' gathered at the state highway through which the muslim devotees had to leave Bulanshahr. "Perhaps it was a design to embroil the muslim devotees in the issue. Had it been the case, it would have been a much bigger communal catastrophe," said a senior police official.
The incidents of recovery of cow carcasses, however, have not ceased in western UP districts since last Monday. A bulk of cattle remains was recovered from a garbage dump near district headquarters in Modi Nagar on Friday. Similarly, in Sambhal, police recovered a truck of 14 cows allegedly being taken for slaughter.