Bulandshahr: Slain inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was investigating officer in Akhlaq lynching case

Subodh Kumar Singh, an inspector who was allegedly killed by a mob protesting alleged illegal cow slaughter in Bulandshahr on Monday, was the investigation officer (IO) in the Mohammad Akhlaq lynching case in Dadri, said additional director general of police (law and order) Anand Kumar. According to reports, Singh was instrumental in getting the meat samples to the lab on time. Kumar said Singh was the inspector officer in the case from September 28, 2015 to November 9, 2015. The charge-sheet in the case was filled by a different IO in March 2016.

Reports suggest there were widespread allegations of corruption against Singh, the UP police maintained that Singh's transfer was a routine one. Akhlaq was beaten to death on the night of September 28, 2015 in Bisara village near Dadri district by a mob infuriated by rumours that he and his family had stored and consumed beef.

Bulandshahr violence: What we know so far:

# Subodh Kumar Singh and a youth, identified as Sumit, were killed on Monday as a mob protesting alleged illegal cow slaughter torched a police post in Siana and clashed with the police, which opened fire.

# Additional Director General (Meerut zone) Prashant Kumar said the protesters from Mahaw village and nearby areas pelted stones on the police and indulged in arson, setting ablaze several vehicles and Chingarwathi Police Chowki.

# Singh was posted at the Siana Police Station.

# He died in the violence, while Sumit died of gunshot wounds.

# The violence lasted nearly three hours.

# The Uttar Pradesh government deployed additional police, including over 1,000 personnel of anti-riot forces, and ordered multiple probes -- by SIT, ADG-Intelligence -- and a magisterial inquiry.

# Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who is in Rajasthan for election campaign, said strict action will be taken against the guilty after the probe reports are received.

# The Congress slammed the chief minister saying he should first set his own house in order before "gallivanting" around the country for election campaign.

# Anand Kumar said the trouble began after villagers found some body parts of cows in a jungle in Mahaw village.

# Activists of right-wing organisations soon gathered at the spot and alleged that people of a community were indulging in cow slaughter, he said.

# Angry villagers and members of various Hindu groups brought the animal remains in tractor-trolley to the Chingarwathi Police Chowki and demanded action against the culprits.

# Bulandshahr District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha, Sub-divisional Magistrate Avinash Kumar Maurya and other senior officials tried to reason with the protestors but they refused to budge.

# The protesters soon turned violent, pelting stones on policemen and indulging in arson. The police fired gunshots in self-defence.       

# The ADG said the exact reason for his death will be known after a post-mortem and the inquiry by the ADG-intelligence who has been asked to submit a report in 48 hours.       

# Mobile footage from the area, shot by onlookers, showed young men attacking policemen with stones.

 # The violence started at around 10 am in Siana area in the district where a major three-day Islamic congregation had concluded this afternoon. The policemen warned against attempts to spread any misleading information, saying the incident was not related in any way to the congregation.

(With agency inputs)