A day after a Bajrang Dal activist appeared in a video claiming innocence in the Bulandshahr mob violence, another man wanted by police has surfaced in a similar manner.
In the video, local BJP leader Shikhar Agarwal, who is also named in the FIR, is heard blaming slain police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh for the violence which erupted around a police post over alleged cow slaughter.
Inspector Singh and 20-year-old Sumit Kumar were killed as a mob, which included right-wing activists, clashed with the police.
The video surfaced as chief minister Yogi Adityanath met with Singh's family in Lucknow.
On Wednesday, a man identifying himself as Yogesh Raj, the convenor of Bajrang Dal’s Bulandshahr unit, issued a video message claiming innocence.
Raj said he was no present at the site of the violence.
The Bajrang Dal’s western Uttar Pradesh unit had backed his claim of innocence, but also asked him to surrender before the police.
In the latest video, Agarwal, who is BJP’s Syana unit youth wing president, claimed it was the inspector who created tension by stopping him and others from taking some carcasses to the Chingrawathi police post for filing an FIR over the alleged cow slaughter.
In the latest video, Agarwal is heard claiming that Singh threatened to kill him and his aides.
Agarwal said he later told Additional Director General of Police Avinash Chandra Maurya about the “threat”.
The BJP leader also accused Singh of being "corrupt" and "siding with the Muslim community" to perpetuate cow slaughter.
Both Agarwal and Yogesh are among the 27 people named in the FIR registered by police after the violence.
The FIR also mentioned 50-60 unidentified people.
The police have reported only four arrests so far.
Apart from the FIR over the mob violence, they have lodged another on the alleged cow slaughter.
PTI
