[dropcap]T[/dropcap]HE Allahabad High Court on Wednesday granted bail to the main accused Yogesh Raj, a local Bajrang Dal member, in the 2018 Bulandshahr mob violence case, which led to the death of a police officer.
Police officer Subodh Kumar Singh was among two people who were killed in a mob attack in Bulandshahr on December 3, 2018, after cattle carcasses were allegedly found in the fields of Mahaw village in Uttar Pradesh. Singh had gone to the site to pacify the demonstrators and restore law and order.
#BulandshahrViolence: The Allahabad High Court granted bail to main accused #Yogeshraj on the ground of parity since co-accused Ashish Kumar has been granted bail by High Court in August. State Government though opposed the bail application, didn't dispute the claim of parity. pic.twitter.com/UWMLkQwpfA
— The Leaflet (@TheLeaflet_in) September 26, 2019
Counsel appearing for the main accused submitted before the High Court that the co-accused, Ashish Kumar, had been granted bail by High Court on August 21. He said that the case of accused Yogesh Raj also stood on identical footing, maintaining he too was entitled for bail on the ground of parity.
On the other hand, state government opposed the bail application but did not dispute the claim of parity.
Justice Siddharth allowed the bail application filed by accused Yogesh Raj and ordered his release on furnishing a personal bond and two sureties each in the like amount to the satisfaction of the court concerned with the following conditions:
- The accused shall not tamper with the prosecution evidence by intimidating/ pressurizing the witnesses, during the investigation or trial.
- The accused shall cooperate in the trial sincerely without seeking any adjournment.
- The accused shall not indulge in any criminal activity or commission of any crime after being released on bail. In case of breach of any of the above conditions, it shall be a ground for cancellation of bail.
The High Court also made it clear that in case of breach of any of the above conditions, the bail shall be cancelled.
Yogesh Raj, the then district collector of Bajrang Dal, was among those accused of inciting a mob of over 400 people to kill Inspector SubodhKumar Singh over alleged illegal cow slaughter as a trolley full of beef was found in the field by the residents of Mawah village.
As per the reports, seven other accused — including former BJP Yuva Morcha worker ShikharAgarwal — had received a rousing welcome from right-wing activists when they were released on bail last month. In photographs and videos that were circulated widely on social media, ecstatic supporters were seen garlanding the accused and taking selfies with them. The state government brushed off all criticism, asking the opposition to not “make a mountain out of a molehill”.
