Bulandshahr violence: Yogi expresses 'grief', Congress asks CM to set his house in order before 'gallivanting' around country

NEW DELHI: After violence broke out in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district on Monday over alleged illegal slaughter of cattle, leaving a police inspector and a youth dead, the Congress slammed chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who was campaigning for the BJP in Telangana. The Congress said it was the worst kind of failure of law and order and he should set his own house in order before "gallivanting" around the country for campaigning in elections. A police inspector and a youth were killed as a mob protesting over illegal cow slaughter went on a rampage torching a police post and clashing with police, which opened fire. A Special Investigation Team has been constituted to probe the matter and submit a report to the Uttar Pradesh government at the earliest. Congress' spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, at a press conference, said the failure of this nature in a state like UP was the "worst kind of failure of law and order and governance". Singhvi slammed Adityanath for "telling other people" to follow his example, saying the chief minister is campaigning across the country and such violence is happening in his own backyard. Congress's media in-charge Randeep Surjewala said that after "handing over" Uttar Pradesh to "anti-social" elements, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is busy campaigning for his party. Meanwhile, Yogi Adityanath has expressed "grief" on the death of police officer and a civilian in Bulandshahr violence. He assured a speedy investigation and a compensation package for the victims. Additional Director General (Meerut zone) Prashant Kumar said the protestors from Mahaw village and nearby areas pelted stones on the police and indulged in arson, setting ablaze several vehicles and Chingarwathi Police Chowki. Inspector Subodh Kumar, who was posted at the Siana Police Station, died in the violence, he said, but did not elaborate. Police also said a 20-year-old youth, identified as Sumit, died of gunshot wounds. As tension prevailed in the area following the violence that lasted nearly three hours, the Uttar Pradesh government deployed additional police, including over 1,000 personnel of anti-riot forces and ordered multiple probes -- by SIT, ADG-Intelligence -- and a magisterial inquiry. Here's What Happened Giving details of the incident, ADG Law and Order Anand Kumar said in Lucknow that trouble started after villagers found some body parts of cows in a jungle in Mahaw village. "This morning carcasses of the cows were found dumped in a forest area outside the village. Activists of right-wing organisations soon gathered at the spot and alleged that people of a community were indulging in cow slaughter," he said. Angry villagers and members of various Hindu groups brought the animal remains in tractor-trolley to the Chingarwathi Police Chowki and demanded action against the culprits. They raised slogans against the police administration and blocked the Bulandshahr-Garh State Highway. Bulandshahr District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha, Sub-divisional Magistrate Avinash Kumar Maurya and other senior officials tried to reason with the protestors but they refused to budge. The protesters soon turned violent, pelting stones on policemen and indulging in arson, he said, adding that police had to open fire in self-defence. Kumar said the UP government acted swiftly and ordered an SIT probe, besides an inquiry by the ADG intelligence and a magisterial probe. He said that additional reinforcements have been rushed to the spot of violence, and described the situation as under control. "Police inspector Subodh Kumar died in hospital during treatment after being hit by a blunt object, probably stone," he said. Postmortem report has revealed that Kumar died due to bullet injury.