A BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh courted controversy after he claimed that Inspector Subodh Kumar, who was killed by a mob during Bulandshahr violence, had shot himself in self-defence. "He (Inspector Kumar) became hopeless and shot himself in haste while trying to save himself," BJP MLA Devendra Singh Lodhi said.
Subodh Kumar was targeted and attacked by a violent mob near Chingrawathi police post on December 3 after cattle carcasses were found strewn in a field near Mahaw village of Uttar Pradesh. However, Lodhi had a totally different account of the incident. "He was not targeted; it was a mob that got aggressive as the police was not filing an FIR," Lodhi said.
Lodhi's comment came on a day when a local court on Friday sent to 14-day judicial custody the man who allegedly shot dead Inspector Kumar.
also read
- Maha Kumbh stampede: Four pilgrims from Karnataka among the dead
- Uttar Pradesh: Tower collapse at Jain event leaves at least 50 injured
- Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath tears into Samajwadi Party, accuses it of forgetting Lohia's teachings
- ‘Journalist’ arrested for posting reel of women bathing at Mahakumbh
Prashant Nat, who was arrested Thursday from Sikandrabad, was produced in the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate. "He was not named in the FIR but was held based on local intelligence, eyewitness accounts and assessment of the video footage that was gathered. During the probe, we even recreated the crime scene," Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prabhakar Chaudhary said. He said Nat, around 27, was absconding since December 3 and has confessed to shooting at the inspector.
"It also emerged that during the violence the inspector had opened fire in self defence from his service pistol, which hit Sumit Kumar. Then the five or six other men with Prashant surrounded the inspector and shot him. They also tried to set him on fire him," Chaudhary told a TV news channel. "Also, a man named Kalua had first attacked the policeman with a sharp weapon and chopped off his thumb. He is still absconding," Chaudhary said. He said the charges would be on the basis of further probe in the case.
Meanwhile, Nat claimed innocence while being taken to the court. He told reporters that he was arrested from his in-laws' house in Greater Noida's Kasna area. However, an eyewitness claimed seeing Nat killing the inspector with the latter's service pistol.
An FIR against 27 named accused and 50-60 unidentified people was registered at the Syana police station over the violence.
One of the main suspects named in the FIR is local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, who is still at large. An Army jawan, Jitendra Malik, has been arrested.
So far, 29 accused have been arrested for violence, according to officials.
(With PTI inputs)
