Bulandshahr Violence Accused Get Hero's Welcome As Legitimizing Mob Violence Is The New Norm

The Alwar sessions court had just recently given the benefit of the doubt in acquitting all six accused about two years after Pehlu Khan was lynched by a mob of cow vigilantes, leading to a massive outcry about the justice system in India but less than a fortnight down the line and seven persons accused of killing a police inspector in cow slaughter violence in Bulandshahr last year were welcomed by their supporters with patriotic slogans.

TOI

Here's what happened:

#WATCH Bulandshahr: Six accused persons in the #BulandshahrViolence case in which Inspector Subodh Kumar was killed last year, were welcomed with garlands after they were released on bail, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/PtuR2eHBsh

¡ª ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 25, 2019

No sooner did they stepped out of Bulandshahr Jail on Saturday night, the seven accused were garlanded and greeted with slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram'. Later, according to IANS, the supporters also threw a "welcome party" in "honour" of the seven men.

What are they accused of?

The accused includes Shikhar Agarwal, a member of Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), which is the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), now in power in both UP as well as at the centre. There is also an army personnel named Jitendra Malik among the seven accused released on bail.

FILE PHOTO

They are accused in a case of mob violence that took place on December 3 after a cow carcass was found in a sugarcane field near Mahav village of Siyana in Bulandshahr.

Malik, an Army man from 22 Rashtriya Rifles and posted in Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF) on December 9 after his name came up as the main conspirator who killed inspector Subodh Kumar Singh. But, he was not chargesheeted for the murder.

BJYM leader Agarwal was arrested in January this year from Hapur district after he remained absconding for over a month.

Subodh Kumar Singh, the station house officer of Siyana, and a local youth, Sumit Kumar, were killed in the violence and Chingrawati police picket was set on fire.

Late Subodh Kumar Singh. File Photo. PTI

Soon after the violence, police booked 27 named and more than 60 unnamed in the violence under more than a dozen IPC sections including 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 395 (dacoity), 333 (grievous hurt to public servant), 124 A (sedition) etc.

However, the release of the seven accused belies the local police' claim that they had prepared a 'watertight' case against them.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Bulandshahr Santosh Kumar Singh said those released were not facing stringent sections and were booked for rioting and not murder.

"A total of 10 people have been granted bail out of which seven were released. The accused granted bail were booked for rioting. None of the accused booked for murder has been granted bail," he said.

Now, even going by what the SP says: Does a riot accused deserve to be welcomed with patriotic and nationalistic slogans? While top members of the ruling party have publicly relished in inciting communal violence time and again and have been all to vociferous in their assertions on "Bharat Mata", there is an almost deafening silence on their part when it comes to condemning the acts of mob violence.

What are the people saying?

Horrifying that the alleged killers of a police officer in Bulandshahr should be greeted as heroes when they came home from jail.

¡ª Tavleen Singh (@tavleen_singh) August 25, 2019

When the BJP-RSS used my slain officer uncle's death for their politics (and tried to kill innocents):
The warm welcome accorded by the BJP today to slain Bulandshahr Inspector Subodh Kumar's killers triggered me to tell this personal memory/story.
Thread ?

¡ª Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) August 25, 2019

A man lynches Inspector Subodh Kumar to death in Bulandshahr.
On being granted bail, he is garlanded.
¡®Jai Shri Ram' & 'Vande Mataram' slogans are raised.

Is murdering on-duty police officers BJP's idea of nationalism? pic.twitter.com/UInNNlxZv0

¡ª Shama Mohamed (@drshamamohd) August 26, 2019

Facts matter. So does context.
Insp. Subodh Kumar died at the hand of mob.
Sumit Kumar died at the hand of police.
Villages in Syana then witnessed police crackdown that smelled of vengeance. Villagers were taken in large numbers. Many who were arrested didn't kill Subodh Kr. https://t.co/qHBRDxR29E

¡ª Madhur Sharma I ???? ????? (@madhur_mrt) August 25, 2019

Glorifying those accused of such heinous crimes will only further embolden the spirits of those engaging in mob violence even as a class of social oppressors, who want the entire population of the country to stick to and obey their narrow bigoted ideology, has emerged as an almost dominant force in the country.

Everybody, it seems, must agree to them and do as they say. Otherwise the fury of the mob will be unleashed onto them, the courts will give benefit of doubt to the accused, some will be released on bail and they will be glorified and hailed as if the police inspector who lost his life in the line of duty was a traitor who deserved to be killed by the mob and the accused were doing some national duty by teaching him a lesson.

REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

Support among sections for people accused of killing or inciting violence is increasingly becoming stronger in India. In 2017, Shambhu Lal Raigar, a marble trader, who was accused of killing a Muslim labourer in Rajasthan and also of filming the brutal act, became an instant celebratory of sorts among a section of people. The police had to freeze his bank account after he received "donations" to the tune of Rs 3 lakh from around 516 "sympathizers" from across the country.

(With inputs from agencies)