File photo of deceased police inspector, Subodh Kumar

File photo of deceased police inspector, Subodh Kumar

UP: Cow slaughter rumour sparks violence in Bulandshahr

MEERUT: A police inspector and a youth were killed on Monday as a rampaging mob protesting against alleged cow slaughter in the area torched a police post in west Uttar Pradesh ’s Bulandshahr district and clashed with cops.District magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha said the station officer of Syana, where the clashes took place, was killed in the violence. The officer, Subodh Kumar Singh, was shot in the head, Jha said.The protesters also set several vehicles on fire and pelted stones at cops, which led the police to open fire, resulting in the death of an agitator, identified as Sumit, 18, of gunshot wounds.The area remains tense following the violence that continued for nearly three hours. The state government has deployed additional police, including over 1,000 personnel of anti-riot forces, and ordered multiple probes, including one by a special investigation team led by additional director general of police (intelligence), another by ADG (technical) and a magisterial inquiry.According to sources, trouble started with locals from Mahav village finding carcasses of cows in a nearby forest. Led by members of Hindu outfits, agitators loaded the carcasses on a tractor and placed these near the Chingrawati police outpost on Syana-Garh highway near Bulandshahr city, approximately 150 km from the national capital.“This morning, carcasses of cows were found dumped in a forest area outside the village. Activists of right-wing organisations soon gathered at the spot and alleged that people of a particular community were indulging in cow slaughter,” ADG (law and order) Anand Kumar said.Angry villagers and members of various Hindu groups raised slogans against the police administration and blocked the Bulandshahr-Garh state highway.Expressing grief over the incident, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who is away campaigning in Rajasthan, said strict action will be taken against the guilty after the probe reports are received. He also said financial assistance would be extended to victims of the violence.The ADG (law and order) claimed that policemen retaliated with a lathi-charge after the violent mob attacked them. According to witnesses, the violent mob soon overpowered the police force. They set the Chingrawati police outpost on fire as well as several vehicles in the premises. The mob also targeted police vans and set several motorcycles on fire.In the ensuing violence, Syana SO Subodh Kumar Singh was killed after a bullet hit him near his left eyebrow and remained stuck in his skull. Sumit, an 18-year-old protester and a resident of Chingrawti village, sustained bullet injuries and was rushed to Meerut, where he succumbed to his injuries. Several policemen and agitators have sustained injuries in varying degrees and have been admitted in nearby hospitals.The ADG said that security has been bolstered in the area with 500 personnel of Rapid Action Force and 600 personnel of Provincial Armed Constabulary. Senior police and administrative officials, including ADG (Meerut zone) Prashant Kumar and divisional commissioner Anita Meshram, are camping at the spot.In a statement, CM Yogi said that ADG (technical) SB Shirodkar has been asked to submit a detailed report on the incident in two days. Based on the findings of the report, strict action will be taken against people behind the incident, he said.