Violence over alleged illegal cow slaughter in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr left a police inspector, Subodh Kumar Singh, and a youth, Sumit, dead as a mob went on a rampage and torched a police station and several vehicles.
The police inspector, who had also probed the Akhlaq lynching case, died of bullet injuries as the furious mob clashed with police.
“Want To Grow up to be Cop”: Subodh’s Elder Son
While Subodh’s elder son, Shrey Singh told Hindustan Times that he would love to follow his father’s footsteps and become a police officer, younger son Abhishek, while talking to ANI, said that it was Hindu-Muslim hatred that took his father's life.
“My Husband Worked With Utter Honesty”: Subodh’s Wife
Subodh’s wife said that this was not the first time he was shot, he had suffered bullet injuries twice before and that he worked with utter honesty.
“He worked with utter honesty & took all the responsibility on himself. This is not the first incident, he had bullet injury twice before. But now nobody is giving him justice. Justice will be done only if his killers are killed.”Subodh Kumar Singh’s wife to ANI
“My Father Wanted me to be a Good Citizen”: Subodh’s Younger Son
Abhishek said that his father wanted him to be a good citizen who doesn't incite violence in society in the name of religion.
“He taught me to become a good citizen who doesn't create ruckus over religion. Everyone is human, regardless of being a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian.”
“I want to ask one thing – because of the Hindu-Muslim hatred, I lost my father today. How many more fathers will die?”Abhishek, Subodh’s Younger Son
He said that the he last talked to his father was the day before the incident, as he was giving his first pre-board exam.
“I study in class 12 in DPS Indirapuram. He asked me to do my economics exam well, not repeat last time’s mistakes.”Abhishek, son of slain policeman Subodh Kumar Singh
He said that he got to know about the incident when he returned from school, however, no one gave him or his family a clear picture till later in the day.
“When I came back from school, around 1:30 pm, I came to know that my father has been shot in the head and he’s dead. People didn’t give me clear details, there was a lot of tension and confusion around, I was being told that my dad is injured, in critical condition. Then, around 2:30 pm, we were told that his post mortem is being done.”
He said, “We weren't told anything, we were kept aloof of all the details. It was when we reached back around 7 pm, that's when we saw the body. My elder brother Shrey was shown the body after post-mortem.”
Abhishek said that his father had went to check on the stone pelting in the nearby village where there were reports of an angry mob. He said that when his father went there, he got hit in the head and fell unconscious.
“I was told is that he went to this village where stone pelting was on. There he got hit on the head and fell unconscious. When he was being taken back, he was shot in the head, right below the eyebrow.”
Subodh’s sister told media that his death is a conspiracy by police because he was investigating the Akhlaq case.
(With inputs from ANI)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)