On Thursday, 27 December, the Uttar Pradesh police arrested Prashant Nat for allegedly killing Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, who died after being shot in the head during the clashes that erupted between the locals and the police after a cattle carcass was found in UP’s Bulandshahr district on 3 December.
On that day, along with Singh, a civilian identified as Sumit was also shot dead.
A video of Singh lying near the front door of the police jeep with a bullet lodged in his head had gone viral after the violence.
When The Quint visited Prashant Nat’s village Chirangati ka Mandeya, also called Natt village, in Bulandshahr, his neighbours said even though the police claim they have sufficient evidence, video and eyewitness accounts to prove that he shot the inspector, they just can’t fathom it.
‘Prashant Was There Only By Chance’
All the locals said they were shocked to hear that someone like Prashant could hurt anyone. “He was trying to make an honest living for himself, like all of us. You can see our homes, we are very poor,” 65-year-old Satveer Singh, who used to be a farmer but doesn’t work anymore due to pain in his knees, told The Quint.
Singh added, “Sun rahain hain hum ki police begunao ko utha rahain hain (We are hearing the police is picking up innocent people).”
Many insisted that Prashant was near the place where the clashes occurred only by chance. “Prashant’s cousin Pinki was to get married in Meerut on 11 December so understandably he had responsibilities to fulfil before the wedding. Bhaat bharne jaana hota hain jahaan kapde, kuch zevar khareedne hote hain. (The Bhat ceremony has to happen for which clothes, some jewellery has to be bought.),” Satveer said.
A few days after the clashes, lots of people from Chingravati and Prashant’s village began to leave. “Everyone was scared, they also left then but I know he did attend his sister’s wedding scheduled for 11 December,” 20-year-old Kajal, who has known him for decades, told The Quint.
35-year-old Subhash said, “Prashant kept to his business and never spoke rudely to a soul. He has lived here always, and never has there been an issue or fight involving him, that’s why we don’t believe all this.”
Prashant Belongs to the Nat Scheduled Caste
The village where 23-year-old Prashant lives is about 3 kilometres from the Chingravati police post where Inspector Subodh Singh was shot. With 30 odd homes, the village has around 150 people, who belong to the Nat Scheduled Caste.
The caste, in their words, consists of very poor people who do manual labour, work in other people’s fields or beg for a living.
His friends told The Quint that Prashant completed his secondary education from the Siyana government school and went onto join his elder brother, Moolchand, who was in the taxi business in Kasna, Greater Noida.
Prashant and his wife Sonam are parents to three daughters. Niki, who is five-years-old, and Darpan and Naina who are three and seven-years-old, respectively. They all left their brother and came back to the village a few months ago as their father was not keeping well. “Prashant would keep visiting but then his father had recurring fever so he came back and was staying here for three-four months straight. His mother also takes medication for the heart,” Satveer Singh said.
Worked as a Cabbie in Delhi-NCR
Prashant joined his elder brother and began driving a cab for a living in and around Delhi-NCR. He would often get the taxi to his native village. “He used to work for OLA. We have seen his cab so many times. Prashant used to bring it often, but this time when he came he came without the taxi. He had said there was an accident so he had to leave it back,” Kajal said.
While on one hand the police claim to have sound evidence against Prashant, who was not named in the original FIR, his neighbours, who’ve known him for decades, feel he’s being blamed wrongfully. Satveer Singh says, “Bhude se bhude guzar gaye, aisa kabhi haatsa na dekha. (Many people have lived and died, but we’ve never seen something like this).”
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