Bharat Bandh: BJP leader who offered Rs 10 lakh for cutting Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's tongue arrested in Madhya Pradesh for inciting violence

BHOPAL: A ruling BJP leader who announced Rs 10 lakh bounty for cutting the tongue of Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in June 2017 has been arrested now for inciting violence during the April 2 Bharat Bandh in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh.

The state police arrested 40-year-old Gajraj Jatav from his hideout in the posh Shyamala Hills area of Bhopal on Friday late night.

Jatav’s wife Sanju Jatav is the ex-Bhind Janpad Panchayat (block development committee) chairperson. He was among the ten absconding accused on whose arrest the Bhind police had announced cash reward of Rs 10,000 each recently.

While, Jatav is accused of inciting violence by Dalit groups in Bhind during the April 2 Bharat Bandh over the Supreme Court judgment on the misuse of SC/ST Atrocities Act, the nine others who are still absconding are accused in the four murder cases which happened in Bhind on April 2, Bhind district police sources told The New Indian Express on Saturday.

While confirming Jatav’s arrest, the IG (Chambal Zone) Santosh Kumar Singh said now National Security Act (NSA) may be slapped against Jatav.

In June 2017, the BJP leader Jatav had reportedly announced Rs 10 lakh bounty to anyone who severed the tongue of Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in the wake of reports that Farooq leader had congratulated the Pakistan team on beating India in the final of Champions Trophy cricket tourney.

Social outfits under police scanner for funding violence on April 2

Meanwhile, back in Bhopal, Makarand Deouskar, the IG (Intelligence) at the State PHQ said on Saturday that ongoing investigations have revealed that the violence in Gwalior-Chambal region on April 2, which claimed seven lives, was well planned and had been funded through a host of social outfits.

“Preliminary information coming out of ongoing probe has revealed that a host of social outfits were used to fund the violence in Bhind, Morena and Gwalior districts on April 2. These outfits raised funds which were channelized for fuelling violence. Some of these outfits were also active in training people for the Bharat Bandh violence and also distributing to them lathis and rods which were used to unleash violence in the three districts,” said Deouskar.

He, however, didn’t reveal the names of the outfits under police scanner for funding and fomenting violence, as it would affect the ongoing police probe.