Video editor: Vivek Gupta, Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Camperaperson: Aishwarya S Iyer
In the aftermath of clashes in Bulandshahr, where a police Inspector and a civilian were killed, the police arrested Nadeem, Kaala and Raees for cow slaughter on 18 December.
None of them were named in the original FIR. They were not the first ones arrested for the alleged crime. Right after the clashes of 3 December, Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj had filed a complaint naming seven Muslims as the accused. Based on his complaint, four Muslim men were arrested, but a probe into the allegations gave all of them a free chit and they walked free after 16 days of arrest.
Who are the three accused who have now been arrested by the police?
Around 80 kilometers from Delhi, The Quint visited the families of the three men, Kaala, Raees and Nadeem. The police has said that while they were not named in the original FIR, there was ample evidence against the accused in their investigation.
This includes a gun and a gypsy which was found in Nadeem’s home and informer’s tips which came for Kaala and Raees according to their families.
The police maintains they have evidence against the accused while the families say they’ve been wrongly implicated. All eyes will be on the ensuing trial where the court will adjudicate on the evidence to ascertain weather they’re culprits or innocent.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)