Mathura Violence: Despite Intel on Firearms, Govt Took No Action

Ram Vriksh Yadav, chief of the violent encroachers in Jawahar Bagh in Mathura is among those killed, says UP Police

Yadav was the leader of an outfit claiming to owe allegiance to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. (Photo: Brajesh Kumar)

Calling Mathura’s Jawahar Bagh a “functional” bomb-making unit, Uttar Pradesh police on Sunday said they have recovered 5 kg of sulphur, 1 kg of potassium and nearly 2.5 kg of gunpowder from the compound.

Members of the Swadheen Bharat Subhas Sena were preparing for a long siege and were openly being trained in firearms and non-armed combat, according to a Times of India report.

Further, the Uttar Pradesh government, headed by Akhilesh Yadav, disregarded up to 40 intelligence reports that had indicated the presence of large number of licensed and unlicensed firearms inside the premises. Adequate reinforcements weren’t reportedly provided, even when they were sought by the district administration.

Mastermind Dead

Earlier on Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh police confirmed that 60-year-old Ram Vriksh Yadav, the Mathura cult chief and key accused in the violence at Jawahar Bagh, was found dead.

Yadav was the leader of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, an outfit claiming to owe allegiance to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He had eight cases against him including murder and land-grabbing.

According to IG (Law and Order) SR Sharma, Yadav was among the 11 charred to death in the fire that was caused by gas cylinder explosions, set off by the encroachers.

The bodies have to be kept for 72 hours in the mortuary, after which a postmortem will be done. The 72-hour time limit ended on Sunday evening.

Also Read: Mathura Ground Report: Violence, Silence, Religion and Rumours

SBSS is a splinter group of the Jai Gurudev sect which has its sprawling headquarters, marked by a massive shrine built with marble, on the Mathura-Agra highway. (Photo: Sanjoy Deb/ The Quint)

The members of Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi had encroached on Jawahar Bagh for two years and clashed with police on Thursday when the latter tried to evict them.

The secretive sect had occupied a 270-acre (109-hectare) stretch of parkland since late 2014, with the site almost entirely closed off to the outside world.

According to AFP, a senior police officer DC Mishra revealed:

Inside the park, they had set up a court which pronounced punishments and jail barracks where inmates were tortured. Children as young as eight years old were being given training in arms.

Also Read: Is SP’s Patronage Responsible for the Guns and Deaths in Mathura?

The probe ordered by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav into the violence at the Jawahar Bagh of Mathura began on Sunday. The CM raised compensation to the next of kin of the two slain police officers from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 50 lakh – even as opposition stepped up attacks on him, questioning why he did not visit Mathura.

BJP MP Hema Malini, who is facing flak for sharing pictures of her film shoot as violence erupted in her constituency, also targeted the Akhilesh Yadav government over the incident, saying it needs to look into the law and order situation.

Police said that so far 67 persons have been arrested in connection with the violence and 310 apprehended for breach of peace.

Also Read: Behind the Mathura Violence: ‘Netaji’ Groups and a Vegetarian Baba

(With agency inputs.)

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