Bulandshahr violence: My father wanted us to be secular citizens, says son of murdered UP cop

Abhishek Kumar, the son of Shyana police station SHO Subodh Kumar Singh, who was allegedly killed by cow vigilantes in Bulandshahr district of western Uttar Pradesh on Monday, has said that his father wanted his children to be good and secular citizens. A student of class 12, Abhishek had just finished writing his exam when he received the news of his father’s killing during the violence by a mob protesting the alleged cow slaughter in the area. “He wanted us to be a good citizen. He wanted us to be a person who doesn’t incite violence in the name of religion. Be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian everyone is equal over here,” news agency ANI quoted Abhishek as saying.

“Today my father lost his life in this Hindu-Muslim dispute, who is going to be the next,” questioned the grieving son as tears rolled down his face.

Subodh died on the spot after being shot at the head by someone from the violent mob of hundreds of cow vigilantes. The protesters rampaged through the Shyana police station, damaging public property and setting police vehicles on fire after the reports of cow carcasses being found in a nearby Mahaw village. Besides the cop, a 21-year-old local resident was also killed in the gunfire.

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“I had spoken to him one day before the incident. He was telling me to work on my weak subjects and advised me to focus more on the subject in which I received fewer marks during the last examination,” Abhishek said.

Abhishek said that his father received inputs of stone pelting incidents in the area. When he reached the spot, a stone hit him on his head and he fell unconscious. Later, when a constable was taking him to the hospital, their jeep came under the attack. The constable fled the scene, leaving behind his father, who was shot at a point-blank range above his left eye.

Police have constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident of violence and the role of policemen who left Subodh alone at the spot. So far, four accused have been arrested. However, the key accused Yogesh Raj was still absconding, UP police ADG (law and order), Anand Kumar said.

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The police have named 28 people and booked 60 other unidentified persons in two cases of murder and rioting. Those arrested were identified as Chaman, Devendra, Ashish and Satish.