Bulandhahr violence: Cong demands judicial probe

The Congress on Saturday attacked the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the probe into the killing of a policeman during mob violence in Bulandshahr, saying over 25 days have passed, but no concrete action has been taken, and demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter.

Mob violence broke out near Chingrawathi police post on December 3 after cattle carcasses were found strewn in a field near Mahaw village. Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and 20-year-old Sumit Kumar were shot dead as the mob attacked police.

Hitting out at the state government, UP Congress chief Raj Babbar, at a press conference here, said: "Over 25 days have passed and the government is still dilly-dallying. Sometimes Ajay Kumar Bisht's government seeks praise for itself, at other times it says it was a conspiracy."

A "mobocracy" has prevailed in the country since the formation of the BJP government at the Centre, he alleged.

"Earlier someone else was accused, now someone else is the culprit. The people whose names are coming out (in the investigation) are those who are close to the BJP leaders there," he claimed.

His remarks come a day after a court sent to 14-day judicial custody the man who allegedly shot dead Singh.

Prashant Nat was not named in the FIR but was held based on local intelligence, eyewitness accounts and assessment of the video footage that was gathered, Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prabhakar Chaudhary had said.

Slamming the Yogi Adityanath government over inaction, Babbar said: "Ajay Singh Bisht had assured the family of the police inspector that they will get justice. He had called them. In all religions when someone dies, people go to their home, but here he called them."

"Will there be justice done... in today's circumstances, it doesn't look like," he said.

The Congress party wants that considering the circumstances prevailing in UP, there should be a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge, he said.

Asked at what level the inquiry should be conducted, Babbar said it would be preferable that it is done under the supervision of the Supreme Court, but added that a probe under the UP chief justice would also bring out the truth.

Alleging that UP was moving towards "anarchy", Babbar asked that should such a government continue.

He also slammed the UP government over FIR being filed on court orders against the Unnao rape victim, her mother and an uncle for allegedly producing a forged age certificate to prove she was a minor.