With the Bulandshahr police coming a cropper in netting prime accused and Bajrang Dal chief Yogesh Raj, two videos, one in which the prime accused is seen pleading his innocence and the other pointing to the involvement of leaders of Hindu outfits also in cow slaughter, caused considerable consternation among the law enforcing agencies.
Not only this, at a time when the Bulandshahr police are on a high alert, fresh cattle carcasses where found near Mishra brick kiln on Jahengirabad-Daulatpur highway in Bulandshahr on Wednesday morning.
With cow vigilantes again converging on the spot to raise the issue, cops summoned backhoe (JCB) and got the carcasses buried in nearby fields.
Sources claimed that Bulandshahr violence prime accused Yogesh Raj released a video, pleading his innocence. In the video he said that he was present at the police station to lodge a report of cow slaughter when the violence broke out.
In the video, Yogesh is seen chanting 'Jai Shree Ram' and introduces himself as Bulandshahr district convenor of Bajrang Dal. Later, he says that the police were "portraying him as a history-sheeter" even as the cow slaughter led to violence.
"There were two incidents that happened on that day. The first related to cow slaughter at Mahav village near Syana. On being informed, I reached there with my supporters. The police also reached there and we went to Syana police station for filing our complaint on cow slaughter," he says in the video.
Raj says that while they were still at the police station, they came to know that villagers were pelting stones. It also surfaced that there was firing as well in which a youth and an inspector suffered gunshot injuries.
He trashed charges that Bajrang Dal was involved in the violence. "When the police were writing our complaint, why would Bajrang Dal protest? I was not present at the location of the second incident. I have nothing to do with it. I have full faith in God that I will be cleared of all charges," he is heard saying in the video.
On Tuesday, ADG (Law and Order) Anand Kumar had told media persons that the police were looking for Raj.
Meanwhile, the Bulandshahr police arrested two persons -- Sairafuddin and Sajid -- in connection with cow slaughter on Wednesday. The duo was named in the FIR. The cops also detained Nane and Asif for quizzing. Sairafuddin and Sajid claimed that they were attending a religious function on the fateful day somewhere else.
Sources claimed that after failing to arrest prime accused Yogesh Raj, the Bulandshahr police picked up his brother Devendra and uncle Chaman, along with Asheesh Chauhan and were grilling them to extract information about Yogesh Raj's whereabouts.
Reports also said that the intense security cover that was put in place in and around the Chingrawathi village was visibly reduced on Wednesday. Personnel of Rapid Action Force (RAF), Police Armed Constabulary (PAC) and local police were deployed near the Chingrawathi police post and the village. A small unit of PAC was present at a temporary office, which was set up next to the police post that was attacked by the mob on Monday. The police stayed put in Chingrawathi and nearby villages of Naya bans and Mahav.
Additional Chief Secretary (Information) Avanish Awasthi said, "The Chief Minister has directed (officials) for a thorough probe into the incident. Instructions have been issued to take stringent action against people involved in cow slaughter. The incident is part of a bigger conspiracy, and hence all directly or indirectly related to cow slaughter be arrested in a time-bound manner."
