Bulandshahr Violence: Some ‘Political Pressure’ Behind Bail, Alleges Slain Inspector's Wife

New Delhi: Soon after a key accused in the mob violence in Bulandshahr district in December 2018 was granted bail, the wife of slain police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh claimed a threat to her life and asked the Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh to “kill her” so that there will be no complaint in the case anymore.

The Allahabad High Court on September 25 granted bail to the district convenor of Bajrang Dal, Yogesh Raj, one of the key accused in the Bulandshahr mob violence case.

Raj, then the Bajrang Dal head for Bulandshahr district, was among those accused of inciting a mob of over 400 people which led to the killing of inspector Singh during the clashes which broke out over suspected cow slaughter.

His release comes a month after five accused of sedition in the Bulandshahr violence were released on bail on August 25. They were welcomed with chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Jai Shri Ram' by their supporters outside the district jail.

Upset over the legal system, the slain inspector’s wife, Rajani Singh, told Newsclick, " I am extremely upset and angry with the legal system and the bail of these accused raises several questions on the judicial system. I am in touch with my lawyers and they have suggested preparing the next course of action. It started when the special investigation team (SIT) recovered my husband’s cellphone. We were pretty sure that justice would be served very soon but seeing one after another accused getting bail makes me nervous and angry. We believed in the government, but we have been cheated so far, contrary to what the government had assured us."

When asked why she had appealed to the UP government to her, she said: "When everything is going wrong, and instead of giving us justice, the accused are getting bail and their supporters are leading a victory march, then it would be better if the government kill me, too. There will be no one to complain and none to listen.”

She claimed she had been told by one of investigative officers involved in the case that the public prosecutors (government lawyers) were not doing their work honestly. “There is someone in Delhi who is helping them (the accused) to get bail easily. I got this information from Allahabad High Court. The judge is also upset with the bail and indicated some 'political pressure'," she alleged.

The slain inspector’s family had demanded that the bail granted to the accused men be cancelled. They had made the same demand in August when the first batch of men was released.

"I am surprised that the accused are getting bail despite heavy charges like National Security Act and sedition and government still claiming that they do not have any sympathy with the accused and will take the toughest action against them. But the result is in front of everyone," Singh said in a choked voice.

CURRENT STATUS OF CASE

Police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a local youth named Sumit were killed in Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh on December 3, 2018, when a mob went on rampage on suspicion of illegal cow slaughter.

Sedition charges were slapped on 44 people who were accused of instigating violence in Chingravathi area of Bulandshahr, which claimed two lives. These 44 people were sent to the jail, of which 22 have got bail nearly one year after the violence.

The deceased inspector’s son, Shrey Singh, told Newsclick, "A total of 44 people were arrested, of which 36 were named in the chargesheet. Five accused were booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) 302 while 33 were booked under different sections of IPC. I am shocked to learn that despite the NSA and sedition law, these accused have managed to get bail."

He said: “A proper hearing of the case has not yet started in the session court which is in District Court, Bulandshahr. The hearing is very slow, as the public prosecutors (government lawyers)  are very slow and not challenging the bail, which is their job."