News Analysis |
A police officer in northern India was killed trying to calm a mob angered by reports that cows, regarded by Hindus as holy, had been slaughtered in the area. Now it has been found that the Police officer was also part of the investigation into the 2015 lynching of the Muslim man Muhammad Akhlaq in Dadri.
It was sometime after 10:00 local time (04:30 GMT) on Monday when Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh sat in his official vehicle and asked the driver to drive the car fast. Mr. Singh, 47, was in charge of the police station in Siyana, a village in Bulandshahr. He had received a call that morning asking him to go to a police station in another village, Chigrawati, about 5km (3 miles) away, where an angry mob of villagers had gathered.
ATS chief Hemant Karkare was investigating the Malegaon blast and according to the book, it is believed that he had some shocking revelations to be made.
They alleged that they had found carcasses of cows earlier that day in the fields – videos, which soon began circulating on WhatsApp and social media, show a tractor with several carcasses blocking the road leading to the police station.
A mob comprising of members of various Hindu groups found a cow carcass near Chingrawati village and brought it to the police post in the village and demanded action against the culprits. They also raised slogans against the police.
However, the crowd soon became unruly and became violent. In the violence that followed, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was shot at and sustained a gun injury near his left eyebrow. The autopsy report revealed that he was hit with a 32 bore bullet.
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Bulandshahr district magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha, said, “In the post-mortem report, a gunshot injury has been confirmed to Late inspector Subodh Kumar Singh. A bullet entered near left eyebrow and is inside the skull.”
Singh was posted as the station house officer (SHO) at Syana police station, after having held the same post at Bisada village in Dadri. Notably, he was the first investigating officer in the Dadri lynching case in which Mohammed Akhlaq was killed over rumours of cow slaughter and beef consumption in 2015. Singh was associated with the probe from 28 September 2015 to 9 November 2015.
The Pradhan Committee was appointed to investigate the matter, but Mr. Mushrif claims that the Pradhan committee could not do any justice to the job it was assigned and believes that neither RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) nor IB co-operated with it.
Reportedly, Singh’s prompt action in bringing evidence samples to the lab in time aided the arrest of the accused. Singh was later transferred to Varanasi, and the charge sheet of the case was filed by another investigating officer in March 2016. However, the start of the trial has been delayed as the city court is still hearing arguments against the 18 accused. All of the accused are currently out on bail.
This connection has raised many eyebrows as observers question the narrative that the police officer was a random victim. Some assert that Singh was targeted by those who sought retribution for his stance against Hindu militants. Suspicions are further raised when it was found out that he was not killed by stones but by a firearm usually used by local gangsters.
For many, this case has eerie parallels to the murder of Anti-Terrorist Squad chief Hemant Karkare. Hemant Karkare AC was the chief of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad. He was killed in action during the 2008 Mumbai attacks after being shot three times in the chest. However, it is not known who exactly killed him as there is no conclusive evidence. His bravery was honored with the Ashoka Chakra on 26 January 2009.
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While the Indian government claims that he was killed while fighting the gunmen who had carried out the attacks, neutral observers have raised many points in the inconsistencies in the official narrative. A major resource is the book named “Who Killed Karkare?” written by the former Inspector general of police SM Mushrif, demanding re-investigation into the 26/11 incident.
The book asserts that ATS chief Hemant Karkare was killed in a conspiracy hatched by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to pave way for the appointment of their favored KP Raghuvanshi as ATS chief to thwart investigations against the Hindu hardliners allegedly involved in Malegaon blast of 2006 killing 37 persons and injuring hundreds. ATS chief Hemant Karkare was investigating the Malegaon blast and according to the book, it is believed that he had some shocking revelations to be made.
Hemant Karkare AC was the chief of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad. He was killed in action during the 2008 Mumbai attacks after being shot three times in the chest.
The Book also claims that Mr. Hemant Karkare was not killed by the terrorist in the 2008 Mumbai Attacks and was killed by someone else by way of some plot taking advantage of the terrorist attack so that his investigation of Malegaon blast can be stopped and Mr. KP Raghuvanshi could be appointed in his place. The Book stresses that Raghuvanshi was brought in to shield the ‘big names’ that were surfacing in connection with Hindu terrorism.
The Pradhan Committee was appointed to investigate the matter, but Mr. Mushrif claims that the Pradhan committee could not do any justice to the job it was assigned and believes that neither RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) nor IB co-operated with it.
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In the end, if the above assertion is true it shows the extent of saffronization of Indian institutions who are using deadly force to spread religious radicalism in the world’s second largest country.