India News

Bulandshahr violence: suspicions of conspiracy, but cow slaughter is CM Adityanath’s concern

Published

8 years ago

December 5, 2018

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh said the police suspect a conspiracy behind Monday’s mob violence in Bulandshahr over cow slaughter when a nearly-400 strong mob attacked the police force and two people, including Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, were killed.

The police had booked Bajrang Dal district chief Yogesh Raj, BJP youth wing member Shikhar Agrawal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) member Upendra Raghav among as 27 people in two FIRs, while cases have been lodged against 50 to 60 unidentified people, the police said. So far, four arrests have been made.

Today (Wednesday, Dec 5) reports said a district court remanded three persons into judicial custody for 14 days in connection with the killing of Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a 20-year-old man Sumit in yesterday’s Bulandshahr violence. However, the main accused Yogesh Raj, who is said to be a Bajrang Dal activist is still on run. It has been reported that Raj led the violent mob which allegedly attacked the police team and killed Inspector Singh.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath held a late night security review yesterday, but kept the focus firmly on cow slaughter. A government statement on the meeting last night indicates he ordered officers to speed up arrests for cow slaughter but there was not a word about the cop’s murder.

“The incident is part of a bigger conspiracy, and hence all those directly or indirectly related to cow slaughter should be arrested in a time-bound manner,” the official statement said.

After he was criticised for lopsided, weird priorities, a second statement put out this morning said Yogi Adityanath would meet the family of the policeman.

According to the opposition, Adityanath seems to be more concerned about catching cow slaughterers than the killers of a policeman.

Also, Adityanath announced a Rs 10-lakh financial assistance to the family members of the youth Sumit Kumar who was killed in the violence. He is reported to be named among the accused in mob violence.

For the meeting in Lucknow, chief minister Yogi Adityanath flew down from his home-base Gorakhpur, where he attended a sound and light show on Monday night and a kabaddi tournament on Tuesday.

This morning, the chief minister flew out of the state again to perform his other role as the BJP’s headline campaigner in state polls. He has three rallies in Telangana, which will vote on Friday along with Rajasthan.

Two cases were filed after the Monday incident – one on the murders and the other on cow slaughter.

Yogesh Raj, the main accused in the mob-killing and an activist of the right-wing group Bajrang Dal, is the complainant in the cow killing case and he is “missing”.

He had named seven people from a village near the spot where the dead cows were found. Two of them are boys, 11 and 12 years old, and four others appear to be fake names. The children were forced to spend hours in a police station last evening. “The cops brought us to the police station and kept us there for four hours. They took the names of the boys and took my phone number. I was told we would be called again if required,” said the father of one of the boys. The boys were not questioned or even detained, according to media reports.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1544016677996{border-top-width: 10px !important;border-right-width: 10px !important;border-bottom-width: 10px !important;border-left-width: 10px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #d6d6d6 !important;border-radius: 10px !important;}”]Uttar Pradesh has reported 11 cases of violence related to cow vigilantism since the BJP government of Yogi Adityanath took oath in March 2017. The state has reported a total of 16 such incidents since 2012 with nine deaths. The country witnessed 97 recorded cases of violence over cow protection with 39 deaths.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Initial investigation by Uttar Pradesh police as well as eyewitness accounts from the spot, where a police officer and a civilian were killed on Monday, 3 December, in Bulandshahr, hint at an organised attempt at fuelling communal tension in the area.

There were conflicting claims on who discovered the “carcasses” — and the nature of what was found in the first place.

Raj, the absconding main accused in cop’s murder, claimed he and his associates saw “seven people slaughtering cows”.

However, the neighbour of the man on whose field the “carcasses” were found said farm workers had first flagged them.

Prem Jeet Singh (45), also a former pradhan, said: “My land is next to Rajkumar’s (plot) and he was informed by labourers working on the field about the incident. I went with him to the spot. It started with four or five villagers expressing their anger but later the crowd burgeoned.”

The sequence of events that led to rioting and violence in Bulandshahr all raise questions that still remain unanswered, reported TheQuint.

Why Were Carcasses of Cows Hung in an Open Field?

Tehsildar Rajkumar Bhaskar, one of the first administrative officers to reach the spot in Mahaw village, told News18 that head and skin of a dead cow was hung in a sugarcane field. He pointed out that anyone who is involved in cow slaughtering will not publicly display a cow carcass, knowing the situation in the state where incidents of mob lynchings in the name of cow vigilantism have taken place.

How Did a Mob of 300-500 People Gather so Quickly?

The tehsildar, while speaking with the news channel, said that as soon as the news of the dead meat spread, a large crowd consisting of members from different Hindu outfits, including the Bajrang Dal, gathered at the spot. The crowd then loaded the dead body of the cow in a tractor and headed towards the Bulandhshahr-Garhmukteshwar State Highway to protest.

Location and Timing of the Incident Fuels Suspicion

The clashes broke out on the last day of a three-day congregation of Muslims – Tablighi Ijtema – in Bulandshahr. Around 10 lakh devotees, who were said to have attended the gathering, were supposed to take the same state highway where the protestors took the carcasses.

Almost a hundred men in tractors reportedly reached the Chingravati police post on the highway, where the crowd multiplied in size. Although the police tried to reason with the crowd, trying to calm them down, the mob refused to budge.

Slain Officer Was Investigating Dadri Lynching Case

Siyana SHO Subodh Kumar, who was shot dead while trying to pacify the crowd at the Chingravati police chowk, was an investigating officer in the mob lynching of Md Akhlaq in Dadri from 28 September 2015 till 9 November 2015. However, the charge sheet was filed in the case by a different investigating officer in March 2016. Kumar played a key role in giving the meat samples in the case to forensic lab, DNA reported.

According to the News18 report, several police officers who were present at the spot, said the mob did not allow the injured SHO to be taken to the hospital.

The police told News18 that the SHO and the accompanying policemen were cornered by the mob. They added that an initial round of firing in the air fuelled the anger of the crowd further.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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India News

India Metro Rail Network May Overtake US in 2 Years

India’s metro rail network has reached 1,170 km across 26 cities. Union minister Manohar Lal said the country could overtake the US in network length within two years.

Published

13 hours ago

September 5, 2026

APNLive Desk

India is on track to become the country with the second-largest metro rail network in the world after China, with Union Minister Manohar Lal saying the country could overtake the United States within the next two years.

India’s metro rail network has now expanded to 1,170 km across 26 cities. The network is only 216 km shorter than the US metro rail network, which stands at 1,386 km, according to figures cited by the minister.

India’s metro network expands rapidly

Speaking after the inauguration of an extended metro service in Indore, Manohar Lal highlighted the pace at which metro connectivity has grown in India.

He said metro services were operational across just 245 km in five cities when Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014. The network has since expanded to 1,170 km across 26 cities.

The minister said India could overtake the US in terms of metro rail network length in the next two years and become the world’s second-largest country in this segment after China.

China currently has around 8,000 km of metro rail lines, according to the figures cited by the minister.

Indore metro extension inaugurated

The minister made the remarks after inaugurating an extended section of the Indore metro. The project was built at a cost of around Rs 2,850 crore.

The Indore metro was earlier operating commercially on a six-km stretch between Gandhi Nagar and Super Corridor-3 stations. Following the extension, the service will operate on a 17-km route between Gandhi Nagar and Malviya Nagar Chauraha.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the metro service would mark a new phase in Indore’s development. He also said the network would eventually be extended to Ujjain and other nearby areas.

India’s metro rail network: Key figures

India currently has 1,170 km of operational metro rail network.
Metro services are operational across 26 cities.
The US has around 1,386 km of metro rail network.
India is currently 216 km behind the US.
China has around 8,000 km of metro rail lines.
India’s operational network stood at 245 km across five cities in 2014.

India News

PM Modi returns to SRCC after 13 years, revisits 2013 glass full speech

PM Narendra Modi returned to SRCC after 13 years for its centenary celebrations, revisiting themes from his landmark 2013 address.

Published

13 hours ago

September 5, 2026

APNLive Desk

Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to Delhi University’s Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) on Saturday, 13 years after his previous visit to the institution as Gujarat chief minister.

His latest visit came as SRCC marked its centenary celebrations. Modi’s 2013 address at the college had attracted significant attention as he spoke about India’s youth, governance and the country’s demographic potential.

In 2013, Modi was Gujarat chief minister and had not yet been named the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. He returned to the same campus this year as Prime Minister, having completed 12 years as Prime Minister and serving his third consecutive term.

What PM Modi said at SRCC in 2013

The 2013 lecture was titled Emerging Business Models in the Global Scenario. The address also covered governance and India’s young population.

He described India’s youth as a source of national strength rather than simply a group of new-age voters. He also highlighted India’s demographic advantage and argued that the country needed to make better use of its young population.

One of the notable moments from the speech involved a glass of water. Modi contrasted the conventional descriptions of a glass as half full or half empty and said he viewed it as full, with half containing water and the other half air.

The speech also included his remarks on technology and young Indians. Referring to an anecdote from a visit to Taiwan, Modi used the phrase “mouse-charmers” to describe Indians using computers and suggested that young Indians had the ability to influence the world through technology.

‘Minimum government, maximum governance’

Modi’s 2013 address also touched on governance. He spoke about the role of government and the need for better governance.

He also spoke about India’s potential in the 21st century.

Modi returns as PM for SRCC centenary

The September 5 visit coincided with Teachers’ Day and SRCC’s 100th anniversary. The Prime Minister’s Office had announced that Modi would participate in the college’s centenary celebrations and address the gathering. SRCC was established in 1926 by industrialist and philanthropist Sir Shri Ram.

Earlier this year, Modi also met the SRCC governing body at his residence in April in connection with the college’s centenary celebrations and released a commemorative postage stamp marking the occasion.

The return to SRCC came 13 years after his 2013 appearance at the college, when he addressed students as Gujarat chief minister.

India News

Supreme Court judge calls police assault on CJP protesters very distressing

Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan criticised alleged police assaults on CJP protesters and raised concerns over excessive force.

Published

22 hours ago

September 5, 2026

APNLive Desk

Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has criticised the assault of protesters by police personnel during the recent CJP demonstrations in Delhi, describing the conduct as “very, very distressing” and a matter of serious concern.

Speaking at the launch of retired IPS officer Yashovardhan Azad’s book Policing the Republic, Justice Bhuyan said the detachment expected from police officers appeared to be diminishing.

He expressed concern over young Indian Police Service officers personally participating in the assault of protesters and demonstrators.

Justice Bhuyan stresses need for responsible policing

Justice Bhuyan said effective policing does not require excessive use of force or infringement of human rights. He emphasised that the police play an important role in maintaining public confidence because citizens generally approach the police when they feel they have been wronged.

He said maintaining the credibility of the police force was therefore of “utmost importance”.

The judge’s remarks come amid continuing scrutiny of the police and paramilitary response to the CJP protests in Delhi.

Supreme Court panel to examine police action

The Supreme Court has constituted a high-level panel to investigate allegations concerning the use of force by Delhi Police during the July 20 student protests at Jantar Mantar and the subsequent Parliament march.

The panel, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice R Subhash Reddy, will examine complaints relating to lathi charges, tear gas, pellet guns and electronic batons. It will also look into allegations of targeted harassment or molestation of female protesters and review available CCTV and video footage.

The police response during the protests has faced criticism, while Delhi Police has maintained that its personnel were also attacked during the clashes.

Judge raises concern over custodial deaths and torture

Justice Bhuyan also spoke about custodial torture and deaths, describing custodial death as one of the gravest crimes in a society governed by the rule of law.

He stressed that torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment cannot be accepted, regardless of whether such conduct takes place during investigation, interrogation or other circumstances.

The judge further warned that when government functionaries themselves become lawbreakers, it can undermine respect for the law and encourage lawlessness.

He questioned whether citizens lose their fundamental rights simply because they have been arrested by police.

‘Fake encounters’ cannot be part of policing

Justice Bhuyan also addressed allegations of extra-judicial killings, commonly referred to as “fake encounters”. Referring to a 2011 Supreme Court judgment, he said such encounters undermine the rule of law.

He stressed that an “encounter philosophy” cannot become part of legitimate policing and said proven fake encounters involving serving police officers must be treated with the utmost seriousness.

The Supreme Court’s panel will now examine the allegations surrounding the police action during the July 20 protests as scrutiny of the events continues.