India - Greater Noida: lynch mob ploy to stir hatred ahead of polls? I Was Forced To Frame Victim, Priest Tells Cops

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Beef-murder-bid-to-stir-hatred-ahead-of-01102015033021

Oct 01 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Beef murder bid to stir hatred ahead of polls?
Purusharth Aradhak
Greater Noida:

The murder of Iqlakh in Greater Noida's Dadri on Monday night after sudden rumours that the family had slaughtered a cow and had beef appears to have been a well-planned attack aimed at creating a sharp divide among communities ahead of panchayat elections in UP.

One of Iqlakh's sons, Mohd Sartaj, is an Indian Air Force engineer.

The priest, who an nounced over the temple loudspeaker that the family had beef in the house, has told police that he was forced to do so by two youths from Bisada, the village where Iqlakh lived. It was after this announcement that a lynch mob rushed to Iq akh's house and killed the 58 year-old man and seriously in ured his son Danish, 21.

Sources in the police and district administration said n the past few months there have been attempts to disturb communal harmony in the ar ea. They said a few days ago in Dankaur, two cows died in a gaushala, but when the car casses were being disposed of some tried to portray it as cow slaughter and incite people. A mosque was damaged, but police controlled the situation.

While the Akhilesh Yadav government wants the accused to be tried under the national security act, the local BJP unit is pressing for their release. On Wednesday , the party unit held a meeting and decided to hold a mahapanchayat on October 11. Instead of focusing on the Dadri murder, BJP's main grouse appears to be the meat in the victim's house. “The locals gave samples of meat to the police but they (the cops) did not take it seriously . Then some people got agitated,“ BJP district president Thakur Harish Singh said on Tuesday, in effect giving a `rational' explanation for the attack.

“Police have arrested innocent people. We also demand legal action against those people, who are engaged in cow slaughter as it is hurting Hindu sentiments,“ local BJP leader Vichitra Tomar said after a two-hour meeting on Wednesday .


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http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=No-mention-of-beef-in-FIR-priest-questioned-01102015005019

Oct 01 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)
No mention of beef in FIR, priest questioned
Purusharth Aradhak
Greater Noida:

There is no mention of beef in the FIR filed by the police in the Bisada village attack case, despite it being the central point that had led to the lynching of 58year-old Iqlakh by a mob late on Monday night.

Police on Wednesday justified by saying that cow slaughtering was just an allegation levelled by the attackers against the victim's family and said they were looking for two youths who had allegedly forced the village priest to announce over the temple loudspeaker that the family had beef in the house.

DSP Anurag Singh told TOI that there was no mention of meat or beef in the FIR as it was an allegation against the victim's family .

“We have lodged an FIR under sections 147, 148, 149, 302, 307, 458, 504 and 7 of the IPC. So far, 10 people have been named in the FIR and six were arrested. All the accused are in the age group of 22 to 28 years. Four of the accused are graduates and employed in the private sector, while others are unemployed,“ he said.

In fact, the FIR was lodged after the victim's family named Saurabh Singh, Gaurav Singh, Sandeep Sisodia, Rupendra Kumar, Vivek Singh, Sri Om, Hari Om, Vishal Sisodia, Sachin Singh and Shivam Bhati in its complaint.

Cops said the priest, who on Monday night announced over the temple loudspeaker that the victim's family had beef in the house, has told them that he was forced to do so by two youths from the village. It was after this announcement that the mob gathered at the temple and then went to Iqlakh's house and killed the 58-year-old man and seriously injured his son Danish, 21.

“The priest has told us that he has seen the two youths in the village many a time. They had forced the priest to make such an announcement on the loudspeaker. The priest and the two youths are the key link in the entire episode,“ SP Sanjay Singh said.

The police have, however, ruled out any personal enmity angle in the case.

“The family and our initial probe have ruled out any personal enmity angle. We are expecting to gain important link after arresting the youths who had forced the priest to make the announcement,“ Singh said.

With photos of the deceased's body and meat being circulated on social media, the district administration has urged people not to do so.

“We have advised people not to circulate such pictures via social media, which can incite the sentiments. We have also come to know that some messages on WhatsApp are being circulated. We don't know from where the messages came.There is a need to check the credential of the messages and we will initiate stringent action against those found involved in inciting public sentiment,“ additional district magistrate Rajesh Yadav said.
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