Bulandshahr Unrest: Man Who ‘Attacked’ Subodh Kumar With Axe Held

The mob reportedly threw stones, used sticks and an axe to attack the police inspector before he was shot. 

(Photo: ANI)

A man identified as Kalua, was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday, 1 January, for allegedly attacking inspector Subodh Kumar with an axe, during the Bulandshahr mob violence in December 2018.

An axe was recovered from his possession, reported ANI. He will be produced before the court later in the day.

Another Accused Sent to 14-Day Judicial Custody

A court on Friday, 28 December sent Prashant Natt, the man who allegedly shot dead Singh, to 14-day judicial custody. Almost a month after the death of police officer, police on Thursday, 27 December, arrested Natt on the charges of shooting him.

Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a youth were killed during an episode of mob violence triggered by alleged cow slaughter in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr on 3 December.

A police official said, Natt, a resident of Chingravati village of Siyana, was held from Sikandrabad, near the highway that leads to Noida, around 2:30 pm on Thursday, 27 December. He worked part-time as an Ola driver in Delhi and nearby areas and, at other times, he worked as a local labourer.

"He was not named in the FIR but was held based on local intelligence, eyewitness accounts and assessment of the video footage that was gathered. During the probe, we even recreated the crime scene," Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Prabhakar Chaudhary told PTI.

Speaking to The Quint, SP City, Atul Kumar Srivastava had said on Thursday they will move for judicial remand on Friday.

"We have arrested Prashant Natt who killed Inspector Subodh using the inspector's service revolver. He is in police custody currently. We will move for judicial remand tomorrow (Friday) in the case. The evidence against him is strong," he said.

The UP police confirmed to The Quint that after inspector Subodh Kumar shot towards a crowd in self defence, Sumit Kumar, the other deceased in the violence, was hit. Angered by this, a group of people, including Prashant Natt, cornered the inspector. Natt then allegedly took inspector Subodh’s service revolver, shot him in the head and fled the spot.

The Bulandshahr superintendent of police had also given an official statement on the matter saying that Natt has admitted that he was the one who fired that led to the inspector's death.

Apart from Natt, another person named Johnny has been identified by the police as the one who took away Subodh Kumar's service weapon, reported NDTV citing sources.

Johnny, along with three others – identified as David, Rahul and Lokender – have also been apprehended, according to The Times of India.

Notably, both Natt and Johnny do not figure in the initial FIR filed in connection with the mob violence, which had named 27 people apart from 50-60 unnamed accused.

Attempts Made to Set Police Jeep on Fire

Since Natt's arrest, unsettling details regarding how inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was attacked on 3 December have emerged.

According to reports, attempts were made to set a police jeep on fire.

Regarding the modus operandi that followed in Natt's arrest, Senior Superintendent of Police for Bulandshahr Prabhakar Chaudhary told NDTV that he "had always been the main accused", but the police kept the investigation secret so as not to alert him.

The police have also said that Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, who was named as one of the main accused in the mob violence in the initial FIR, played a role in provoking the crowd. Raj, who had pleaded innocence in a video, has been absconding since the incident.