Lucknow: Bajrang Dal posters featuring Yogesh Raj, the main accused in Bulandshahr violence that led to the death of a police officer, have sprung up in the western UP city to greet people on Makar Sankranti and Republic Day.
Defending the move, Bajrang Dal’s Assistant Regional Convenor Praveen Bhati told News18.com, “There is nothing wrong in putting up such posters as Yogesh Raj is the local convenor, and just an accused. He is yet not guilty.” Bhati also features in the poster.
The right-wing outfit's local convenor can be spotted with other workers of Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Raj and Bharatiya Janata Party youth wing leader Shikhar Agarwal are currently in police custody in connection with the violence.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad department-in-charge, Brano Bhushan said, “The posters were put up to congratulate people on the festival of Makar Sankranti and Republic Day. As Yogesh Raj is the local convenor, that’s why the posters carry his picture along with pictures of other workers. The posters were not put up by me, but the local workers of VHP and Bajrang Dal.”
On December 3, inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was killed in a mob violence after cattle carcasses were allegedly found near Mahaw village where lakhs of people had gathered for a 'Tabligi Ijtema'.
Yogesh Raj was later arrested in Khurja, a few days after he had gone into hiding. In a video he released while in hiding , the 28-year-old is seen claiming that he was not present at the site of violence and had nothing to do with the protests. He also alleged that the UP police were trying to portray him in bad light.
“Protests were being held in the street outside Siyana police station. My Bajrang Dal colleagues and I were sitting inside,” he said in the video. “I was in my house on Monday morning and received a call that some villagers had found cow meat in sugarcane fields. After this, I went there and rushed straight to the police station,” he said in the video.
However, Yogesh’s claim did not tally with the initial statement he gave to the Bulandshahr police.
According to his statement, Yogesh and three of his friends had gone for a walk around Mahaw village at on the morning of December 3 where they spotted seven people slaughtering cows. Before they could raise an alarm, the people fled. The Bajrang Dal convenor had said that they were all residents of his village.
Several videos also emerged since the time of the incident in which he is seen and heard saying that he would keep blocking the road unless the police take action against those involved in the ‘cow slaughter’. In more videos that surfaced after the violence, he is seen talking to police officials during the protests by the right-wing Hindu groups.
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