BULANDSHAHR: The Hindu Yuva Vahini activists were allegedly involved in the lynching of 60-year-old Ghulam Ahmed after an inter-faith couple eloped in Bulandshahr, confirmed the Uttar Pradesh Police said in a press statement on Thursday.
The deceased’s family members had blamed members of the right-wing Hindu Yuva Vahini for the incident.
The district head of Hindu Yuva Vahini who had repeatedly denied the involvement of any of the organisation’s members in the incident also admitted that the three men arrested so far in connection with the crime are “very much party activists.”
Police released a statement that said: “In the sequence of events, on May 2, 2017, at around 11 am, Gavinder Singh, reached Sohi village along with 5-6 Hindu Yuva Vahini activists and started looking for the family members of Yusuf, who had married a 19-year-old woman of another religion and reached the mango orchard where Ghulam Ahmed was working. They then with one mind beat the 60-year-old to death with lathis and rods on the suspicion that he knew the whereabouts of the couple.”
Superintendent of police (rural) Jagdish Sharma said, “All evidence including phone surveillance pointed towards the involvement of these men. But we still cannot conclusively indict the youths until we arrest Gavinder Singh.”
The release said a case of murder has been registered against Gajendra and five to six unknown persons under various sections of the IPC.
However, at the regular Home Department press briefing, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Aditya Mishra appeared to be striking a different note as he said the incident should not be seen from “communal point of view” and “associating any particular organisation with the incident is not right.”
Asked whether HYV workers were involved, the ADG said it would be “unfair to give communal colour” to the incident.
“This is a different type of incident and it would be improper to look at it from communal point of view,” he said.
“Associating any particular organisation with the incident is not right. So far we have not got any evidence which point in this direction. It would be improper to give it a communal colour.”
The couple which had eloped, were detained by police last night. The woman’s father had registered a complaint with the police, accusing Yusuf of kidnapping his daughter.
The two were staying with Yusuf’s relative in Hathin village in Ballabhgarh district of Haryana, Bulandshahr SP Rural) Jagdish Sharma said.
With PTI inputs