Did inspector’s death avert full-fledged communal riots?

LUCKNOW: The timing, location and circumstances that led to Bulandshahr violence were in fact a perfect recipe for a communal riot big enough to make international headlines but the death of inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in mob violence prevented flare-up of further violence as the mob panicked and dispersed, feel senior police officers.

“The police officer’s death apparently made the mob realise the gravity of situation and those indulging in violence and arson panicked and dispersed. There could have been the fear that police could turn aggressive after a colleague’s death,” said a senior police officer. “In a way, even while inspector Subodh died in the line of duty, his death eventually averted what could have been a much bigger tragedy,” he added.

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The site from where the cow carcasses were recovered on Monday morning — Mahav village — seems to have been meticulously chosen, raising doubts in the mind of investigators about the possibilities of a bigger conspiracy.

The village is barely 500 metres away from the local police outpost under Syana police circle which is a communally sensitive region and was under a month-long curfew following a major communal riots that broke out in Khurja town of the district in early 1990s.

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Moreover, Mahav’s adjoining villages Chingrawti and Baans Kala are reportedly dominated by a particular community. Not only this, the road on which the police outpost is situated was to be used by thousands of people returning from a religious congregation at Dariyapur on their way to Rampur, Bareilly, Moradabad and Lucknow. The road leads to Delhi-Moradabad highway.

After violence broke out, police were quick to set up holding areas on the route and divert traffic from the congregation which was attended by lakhs.

The state government has also acknowledged that the violence was ‘part of a larger conspiracy’ and in a late night review meeting held on Tuesday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh to trace the conspirators and perpetrators and take stringent action against them.

“How did the carcasses reach the site from where they were recovered and who was behind this is also a major focus of the probe,” the DGP said on Wednesday.

The investigators were also puzzled by the fact that why would anyone slaughter cows in an open field unless mischief was the motive. Sources, however, said that slaughter of cows was nothing new in the region. Recently, a major protest against cow slaughter was held outside same police outpost which was attacked by mob during Monday’s violence.

“The site is also important because of its proximity to the national capital. In case a full-fledged riot had taken place, the violence would have caught the attention of national and international media,” said a senior police officer.