A Special Investigation Team that’s investigating allegations of cowslaughter in Bulandshahr in Western Uttar Pradesh has revealed that four men arrested in connection with the case were innocent, media reports said on Wednesday.
Reports said that 17 days after the four men—Sarfuddin, Sajid, Nanhe and Asif—were arrested, police now say they would move a local court for their release because there is no evidence to link them to the crime.
The development comes a day after police arrested three others—Nadeem, Raees and Kaala. The report claims the police now believe the three of them to be responsible for the act.
A suspected case of cow slaughter led to violence in Bulandshahr on December 3, and subsequently two deaths.
“Three men—Nadeem, Raees and Kaala—have been arrested for their role in the cow slaughtering incident. A vehicle and a licensed weapon have also been recovered from their possession,” Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prabhakar Chaudhary said.
He said the trio was not named in the initial FIR, which had seven accused including two minors of Nayabans village, but during probe their names emerged in the case.
“The police are investigating the matter and these three men have emerged for their actual role in the cow slaughter. Further probe is on,” Chaudhary said.
Two more men were arrested for the violence that followed. Sachin Singh alias Cobra (21) and Johnny Chaudhary (19) were arrested on Tuesday evening by the Noida unit of STF for their role in the violence, a senior official said.
“Working on a tip-off, the two men, whose identity had been ascertained post the violence, were picked up at 4.15 pm from a bus stand in Gathiya Badshahpur in Siyana tehsil of Bulandshahr,” Deputy Superintendent of Police, STF, Raj Kumar Mishra said.
An FIR against 27 named people and 50 to 60 unidentified people was registered at the Siyana police station for the violence that was witnessed at Chingrawathi police post after cattle carcasses were found strewn outside nearby Mahaw village of the district.
Police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and civilian Sumit Kumar, 20, were killed of bullet shots during the mob violence on December 3. One of the main suspects among the 27 named in the FIR, local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, is still absconding, while an Army jawan, Jitendra Malik, has been arrested and remanded in custody.
