Yogi Adityanath claims 'no case of mob lynching' in Bulandshahr, deaths were caused by 'accident'

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath spoke about the Bulandhsahr violence for the first time on Friday, claiming that it was an accident. “There was no case of mob lynching, what happened in Bulandshahr was an accident,” he said. Adityanath also promised that those responsible will be punished. The reaction comes a day after the chief minister met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Adityanath on Thursday met the family members of inspector Subodh Kumar Singh who was killed in mob violence in Bulandshahr, hours before a meeting with Modi in which the matter was expected to come up.

#NewsAlert – What happened in Bulandshahr was an accident, those responsible will be punished: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister @myogiadityanath. #BulandshahrViolence | @pranshumisraa with more details pic.twitter.com/PfRE7VFcsm

— News18 (@CNNnews18) December 7, 2018

On Thursday, the state government announced that a road and a college will be named after Singh. On Monday, a mob of some 400 people, including right-wing activists, went on a rampage through the Chingrawathi village after animal carcasses were found strewn in a jungle nearby. The police have arrested four people in connection with the violence. A four-member special investigation team headed by Inspector General, Meerut, is leading the probe into the violence and the alleged cow slaughter which triggered it. The state’s Special Task Force (STF) will assist the team, police said. A new lead on the accused in the Bulandshahr violence case emerged on Friday. Jeetendra Malik , who has been named in one of the FIRs as ‘Jeetu’ and is reportedly a serving member of army personnel, could be responsible for shooting Police Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in the Uttar Pradesh district, according to sources. However, official confirmation is awaited on Malik’s exact role in the incident. While main accused Yogesh Raj is still on the run, Malik reportedly escaped to Jammu and Kashmir. Teams of the Uttar Pradesh Police were sent to Jammu and Kashmir to track down the jawan who is posted around Srinagar Adityanath had on Monday announced compensation of Rs 40 lakh for the wife, Rs 10 lakh for the parents and a government job for a family member of the inspector, who was the initial investigating officer in the 2015 Akhlaq lynching case. The Adityanath government continued to face flak from the opposition. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury alleged the state administration was shielding the accused and harassing the innocent. An editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana also referred to the violence, saying soldiers and policemen do not have any religion. With inputs from agencies