The Bulandshahr violence has taken a serious twist. According to the Economic Times report, it is neither absconding Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj nor an army soldier who is a prime suspect in the death of Inspector Subodh Singh. Instead, it is a 30-year old petty criminal named Prashant Natt.
Uttar Pradesh police has been looking for suspect Prashant Natt, whose name incidentally did not figure in the first information report (FIR) earlier.
UP’s Additional Director General (Law and Order) Anand Kumar speaking to ET has said that based on the video footage they have received and on oral testimonies of some other people, they have made Natt a prime suspect in the killing of inspector Subodh Kumar Singh.
“We have recreated the crime scene and narrowed down the people who went and killed the Inspector, Natt was part of that group. We have almost cracked the case of the inspector’s killing,” said the senior police officer.
The case has now taken a turn as the Uttar Pradesh police had earlier suspected that Bajrang Dal member Yogesh Raj as the suspect behind the killing of the inspector in a case of apparent mob violence on December 3. However, police officer Kumar said that while Yogesh had a role in instigating the crowd and creating chaos in the police station, he is not a suspect in the inspector’s killing that occurred later.
The police were able to find the real suspect after they went through the video footage in its possession and statements given by other accused who have been arrested. “Once he is arrested, which will be soon, he will spill the beans,” said Kumar.
Reportedly, suspect Natt is said to be working as a taxi driver in Delhi and belongs to a village called Chingravati which is located in Bulandshahr. Natt and three other accused-Satish, Vineet and Sachin are absconding and had put a surrender petition in Bulandshahr court last week but did not surrender themselves to the police.
The investigation conducted by the UP police has so far revealed that the death of Sumit triggered the killing of inspector Subodh Kumar and Sumit later succumbed to his injuries. Three to four people, including Natt, are suspected to have been near the police jeep when the inspector was shot dead.
On December 3rd, violence broke out in Bulandshahr after carcasses of cows were found in a field in Mahav village near Chingravati, Bulandshahr. Protesters had gathered outside a police station claiming that they had discovered carcasses of cows in their locality. Angered with police inaction even after repeated complaints, they clashed with the police. The protest turned violent where the police inspector Subodh Singh accidentally shot Sumit, a 17-year-old boy. Inspector Singh too died by a bullet. Investigation is currently underway to identify the culprits.