Bulandshahr killings: Uttar Pradesh police arrest BJP youth wing leader Shikhar Agarwal from Hapur for inciting violence

Over a month after the Bulandshahr violence, when an inspector and another youth were killed, the Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested one of the main accused Shikhar Agarwal. Agarwal — a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader who was accused of instigating violence — was held at 7.20 am near a flyover in adjoining Hapur district by the Bulandshahr police. He had been on the run ever since the police began investigating the violence which broke out in Siyana tehsil of the district on 3 December, 2018. “We are interrogating him and gathering information to proceed further in the case. He will be produced in the local court later today (Thursday),” Additional Superintendent of Police (Bulandhshahr city) Atul Kumar Srivastava told PTI. Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and civilian Sumit Kumar of Chingrawathi village were killed in the mob violence that broke out after cattle carcasses were found strewn outside a village. [caption id=“attachment_5867971” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of BJYM leader Shikhar Agarwal.[/caption]

After the incident, Agarwal had released a video  in which he blamed the slain inspector for the violence in the district. He claimed that it was Singh who created tension in the public over the dead cow carcasses after stopping Agarwal and his aides from taking them to the Chingrawathi police station to file an FIR over the alleged cow slaughter.

In the video, Agarwal further accused Singh of threatening to kill him and his aides and he later conveyed the same to ADG Avinash Chandra Maurya. Agarwal, who claimed to be pursuing a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from Aligarh, also said in the video that he had “full faith in the Yogi (Adityanath) government” in the state and he was ready for any probe. With his arrest, the number of accused held for violence has reached 36. Seven people have been arrested and jailed in connection with the separate cow slaughter case registered on the same day.   Twenty-seven people were named in the FIR , while 50 to 60 unidentified people were booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc), 307 (attempt to murder), 302 (murder), 124A (sedition), 147, 148, 149 (related to rioting), 332, 33, 353 (related to voluntary assault on public servant to obstruct them from performing their duty), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others). They were also booked for destroying public property, among others. On 3 January, the police had arrested local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, also a key suspect in the case. A separate FIR was lodged by the police for cow slaughter on a complaint by Raj. Among the 36 people arrested for violence are Army jawan Jeetender Malik, Prashant Nat, who allegedly shot the inspector dead, and Kalua who had first attacked him with an axe. With inputs from PTI