Two minors named for UP cow slaughter; spend 4 hours with police

Yogesh Raj’s complaint includes two minor boys, one man who hasn’t visited the village in a decade and three names the villagers have never heard of

LUCKNOW, Dec 5: Two minor boys aged 11 and 12 have been named as accused in a case filed over cow slaughter allegations that led to a frenzied mob murdering a police officer in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandhshar. The boys, both cousins, are among seven named in a complaint of cow slaughter filed after carcasses were found strewn around in a forest near village Nayabans in Bulandshahr.

The complainant, Yogesh Raj, is a Bajrang Dal activist who is the main accused in mob killing of inspector Subodh Kumar Singh. He is missing since the incident.

A video circulated on social media shows Yogesh Raj arguing with the police and demanding action against cow slaughter on Monday, shortly before the situation went out of hand and a mob attacked policemen, burnt the police outpost and set vehicles on fire.

Yogesh Raj’s complaint includes two children, one man who does not live in the village anymore, and three names the villagers have never heard.

Village residents are stunned that children have been named for cow slaughter. The father of one of the boys says they were not even in the village the day of the incident.

“The police came to our house, called us to the police station and kept us there for four hours. They took the names of the boys and took my phone number. I was told we should be called again if required,” the father said.

Six of the seven names in the cow slaughter case are doubtful, media inquiries have revealed. One of the “accused” is now a resident of Faridabad in Haryana and hasn’t been to the village in over a decade.

Police sources say any questioning or arrests will take place only after an investigation. Asked about the children’s names as accused, they said they were included because they had been given by the complainant.