New Delhi: After prime accused in the Bulandshahr mob violence, Yogesh Raj, released his video from hiding on Wednesday, BJP Yuva Morcha leader Shikhar Agarwal, booked in the same case released his video from an undisclosed location on Thursday morning.
In the clip, he has claimed that slain inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was corrupt and had threatened to shoot him down at the site of the incident.
The two – Yogesh and Shikhar – along with 26 others have been named in the FIR for the murder of Singh during Monday’s mob violence that was stoked by rumours of cow slaughter in west Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr.
Claiming innocence, Agarwal said, "I was inside the police station when the entire rampage happened outside. I have no role to play in the violence."
Agarwal also alleged that inspector Subodh Singh had threatened to shoot him and his allies if they did not bury the cow carcass.
"Everybody in the area knows how corrupt the SHO was. He had joined with the Muslim community and wanted to hurt Hindu sentiments. He had said that he will shoot me if I don't bury the carcasses in the fields or try to take it in front of people," he claimed.
Interestingly, the narratives of Yogesh Raj and Shikhar Agarwal are similar. Both claim that they were inside the police station when the violence erupted. Bulandshahr police, however, said they had seen both the accused at the site of violence.
Also, none of them in their videos have said that they saw the carcasses first. Both claim they received calls from people who spotted the dead meat. The mention of who they received calls from has not been made.
The claim, however, contradicts the statement to police given by Yogesh as he had said that he was roaming in the fields at 9am on Monday when he saw seven Muslims slaughtering cows. Based on his complaint, seven Muslims, including two boys aged 11 and 12, were booked.
Defending his organisation, BJP Yuva Morcha, Agarwal also said, "These groups are for providing justice and overall smooth functioning of the society. We are not a bunch of goons spreading hate."
While Yogesh is Hindu outfit Bajrang Dal’s district head, Agarwal is a BJP youth wing member and a VHP worker.
They have been booked for murder and attempt to murder under sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code, respectively, as well as various sections of arson and damaging public property.
Till now, four persons have been arrested for the violence, in which another youngster named Sumit was also killed during police's retaliatory firing.
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