New Delhi: The murder of police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Bulandshahr will affect the Dadri lynching case, the counsel for the victim Mohammad Akhlaq told News18.
“He was one of our most important witnesses. His murder will definitely be a setback,” said Yusuf Saifi, who has been fighting the case in a trial court on behalf of the victim’s family. Singh was witness number 7 in the case.
Singh was shot in the head on Monday when he tried to pacify the mob triggered by an alleged case of cow slaughter. The police has booked 90 people for rioting and several men belonging to right-wing have been booked on the charges of his murder.
“I did not speak to him frequently as he was replaced by another Investigating Officer barely 45 days after the murder, but I can tell you that the officer seemed very upright. Within a very short span he managed to track down and arrest all the accused that the victim’s family had named in the FIR. He kept in check with us for regular updates till the time he was on the case,” Saifi added.
On September 28, 50 year-old Akhlaq and his son Danish were lynched by a mob claiming to have spotted them slaughtering a calf. The claims were subsequently rubbished by an FSL lab report. While Akhlaq succumbed to his injuries, Danish remained unconscious for days after the assault and managed to survive.
Akhlaq’s brother, Jan Mohammad, has fond memories of Subodh Singh.
“One thing I can tell you about Subodh Singh is that he was brave. It was brave of him to not wait for backup and plunge himself in the mob to extricate the bodies of Akhlaq and Danish. He wasted no time in reaching the spot and in admitting Danish to the hospital,” said Jan Mohammad.
“He would often tell me that he was in his vest when he heard about the crime but only took time to put on his uniform in the PCR. He told me he rushed to the spot as soon as he could. And we know that he didn’t waste any time in admitting Danish to the hospital. And he spared no one. Arrested all the people we had named in the FIR,” Jan Mohammad added.
The SHO’s murder has been linked to a conspiracy by his sister to protect the accused in the Akhlaq case. She alleged that the riot in Bulandshahr was staged to eliminate him.
“My brother was investigating Akhlaq case and that is why he was killed. It’s a conspiracy by the police. He should be declared a martyr and a memorial should be built. We do not want money,” she said.
The Akhlaq lynching case has been dragging along for the past three years. The case has been heard 45 times in the trial court however the trial has yet to start. All the accused in the case are out on bail and one of them, Hariom Sisodia, has declared his intention to fight the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
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