After a police officer and a local youth were killed in mob violence led by cow vigilantes in the Indian city of Bulandshahr, the state government is now investigating "the conspiracy angle" behind the cow meat that triggered the agitation by right-wing youth activists. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday night ordered a thorough probe of the incident.
READ MORE: Vigilantes Lynch a Man on Suspicion of Slaughtering Cow in Central India
Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh from the Uttar Pradesh police and 20-year-old Sumit Kumar were killed when a mob of some 400 people went on a rampage in Bulandshahr after they recovered a cow's carcass in a nearby jungle.
"We are not only seeing it as a law and order issue. It was a conspiracy and we are probing why the particular day December 3 and place on which the cows were slaughtered and their remains spread in the field were selected", Director General of Police OP Singh told news agency PTI.
UP DGP O P Singh: The incident in #Bulandshahr is a big conspiracy. This is not only a law and order issue, how did the cattle carcass reach there? Who brought it, why & under what circumstances? pic.twitter.com/Zs2YQZw4br
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 5, 2018
FIR in the Bulandshahr violence names Yogesh Raj, Bajrang Dal District convenor and 27 others as the main conspirators. Booked under section 302 and several other stringent sections of IPC.
— Piyush Rai (@PiyushRaiTOI) December 4, 2018
People have taken to social media to express their scepticism over the Uttar Pradesh government's stress on investigating the appearance of a cow carcass while the people responsible for the killings are roaming scot-free.
UP CM #YogiAdityanath terms violence in #Bulandshaher as part of a greater conspiracy; asks higher officials of the state to take strong action against those involved in cow slaughtering#BulandshaharViolence #BulandshahrViolence #Bulandshahr pic.twitter.com/mT56IoOcAo
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) December 4, 2018
Extraordinary: statement after UP Chief Minister meeting on #Bulandshahr doesn’t mention the murdered police inspector even once. Focus almost solely on cow slaughter. pic.twitter.com/olFIgRQVXg
— Sreenivasan Jain (@SreenivasanJain) December 5, 2018
Human rights body Amnesty India has criticised the government's laxity in investigating the cause of the violence and deaths.
READ MORE: Three Indian States Get Court Notice for Failing to Check Cow Vigilantism
Meanwhile, the police officer's association of the state have condemned the killing of their colleague and have sought a thorough probe to book the perpetrators.
We condemn the lethal attack on.@Uppolice Inspector Subodh Singh, recognise his bravery & risks police officers are exposed to because of disruptive mob mobilisations. We demand strongest action against perpetrators & instigators.@PMOIndia @HMOIndia @CMOfficeUP #Bulandshahr
— IPS Association (@IPS_Association) December 4, 2018
