Yogesh Raj – one of the main accused in the 2018 mob violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr – has been elected as a member in the Zilla Panchayat.
Raj, a former Bajrang Dal worker, defeated Independent candidate Nirdosh Chaudhary by 2,150 votes. He was on bail while contesting the elections. Two persons, including a police officer, were killed in the 2018 violence.
"Earlier, I worked with many organisations. But for some work such as farmers' issues, pension for widows, etc, you have to enter politics. You cannot complete this work without being a politician. I had contested from Ward 5 and won by 2,150 votes," Raj told reporters.
What Happened?
The villages of Chingrawati, Mahav and Nayabans were the epicentre of the violence in 2018. A mob had gone on rampage on 3 December 2018, after a cow's carcass was found in a sugarcane field near Mahav village of Syana in Bulandshahr.
Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh posted at Syana police station was killed in this attack. According to sub-inspector Suresh Kumar, a witness, around 300-500 people had attacked the police force, reported ANI.
According to the FIR lodged, Raj, along with his friends, had instigated the mob.
The mob was armed with bricks, sticks and pistols. The FIR stated that some from the mob snatched Kumar’s pistol and mobile phone. After that, the mob killed the policeman.
Raj was arrested in January 2019, one month after the violence. A youth, Sumit Kumar, also lost his life in the violence and the Chingrawati police outpost had been set on fire.
According to the FIR, several cases were registered against Raj in this case under sections 147, 148, 149, 307, 302, 333, 353, 427, 436, 394 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
'Charged for Inciting Violence, Not Murder': Yogesh Raj
Talking to reporters about the 2018 violence, Yogesh Raj said that two people had died in the incident, but he was not charged with their murder.
"In the Syana violence, two people died and I express my condolences to both their families. But I am just accused of instigating the mob and I am not accused of murder," he said.
(With inputs from IANS)
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