Bulandshahr violence: Slain inspector's son questions BJP MLA's claim about his death
New Delhi, Dec 31: Elder son of Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, who was among the two people killed in the recent Bulandshahr violence, Shrey Singh on Sunday questioned a BJP MLA's claim that his father had shot himself.
Subodh Kumar Singh and civilian Sumit Kumar were killed on December 3 in the mob violence that broke out in Bulandshahr's Siyana area after cattle carcasses were found strewn outside a village.
BJP MLA from Bulandshahr Devender Singh had reportedly said on Saturday the inspector was not targeted, instead he "shot himself" out of hopelessness and in haste.
"I do not want to respond to anyone but those challenging the post mortem report and saying my father shot himself. The autopsy report says he was shot from a distance of seven to eight metres. How can someone who shot himself do it?" Shrey, a college student, asked.
The slain inspector's son, along with some residents of Bulandshahr's Naya Bans village who were wrongly named in the FIR for cow slaughter, was here at an event of National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation (NCHRO).
An umbrella body of various human rights organisations, the NCHRO demanded that the Supreme Court should monitor the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the Bulandshahr violence.
Shrey said the entire episode appeared to be a conspiracy and questioned how a mob of 400 people could suddenly gather somewhere.
Asked if he thought there was any political pressure on police in this case, he reposed his faith in the investigators and said he hoped to get justice.
The police force is "like a family", he added.
The man who allegedly shot dead Subodh Kumar Singh, Prashant Nat, was arrested on Thursday. Senior officials had said that Nat, who was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a court on Friday, had admitted to shooting the inspector.
The arrest of Prashant Nat is good progress. But there are still several missing links in this case which need to be connected, Shrey said.
"I am waiting for the final police report," he said.
An FIR against 27 named accused and 50-60 unidentified people was registered at the Siyana police station over the violence.
One of the main suspects named in the FIR is local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, who is still at large.
Responding to a question, Shrey said, "If Yogesh Raj, who has claimed innocence in videos, is clean, he should surrender before the police and join the probe. The fact that he is absconding testifies to his involvement."
"What is really sad is that those who have done all this, they also belong to our society. Today they have killed my father, tomorrow them may kill someone else. A clear message should reach them, not particularly them, but all such people that nobody should take the law in their hands," he said.
Describing his father as someone who accorded utmost priority to his work, Shrey recalled that every year on his birthday it was he who visited his father wherever he was posted and not the other way round.
"We could be in the middle of cutting my birthday cake and he would leave everything and rush to the spot first if informed about any incident. He would cheer us up after returning," he said.
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Kerala court sentences man to life imprisonment for doc's murder in hospital
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Kollam (PTI): A teacher convicted in the sensational murder of Dr Vandana Das inside a hospital here was sentenced to life term on Saturday, and the prosecution said it will move an appeal seeking death penalty for the accused. The victim's family also batted for "maximum punishment".
Dr Das was brutally killed inside a taluk hospital in May 2023 by G Sandeep.
Kollam Additional District and Sessions judge P N Vinod sentenced Sandeep to a total of 30 years for various offences under the then Indian Penal Code (IPC) and said that after he serves that period, his life imprisonment for Das' murder will commence.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2.35 lakh on the convict.
Though the prosecution had sought death penalty for the accused during the arguments on sentence, the court was of the view that the case does not fall under the rarest-of-rare category to warrant the maximum punishment.
It was also of the view that there was a chance of the convict getting reformed as he told the court that the rest of his life would be one of repentance, the order on sentence said.
"At the same time, I agree with the stand of the prosecution to the effect that the sentence should commensurate with the gravity of the crime and the sentence should not only be reformative, but should also have a deterrent effect."
"In my view, the said objective can be achieved by directing that the term sentences that will be imposed will run consecutively and life sentence that has to be imposed will commence only after the expiration of terms sentences," the judge said.
After the verdict, special public prosecutor (SPP) Prathap G Padickal told reporters outside the court that he will recommend to the prosecution to file an appeal seeking enhancement of the life imprisonment to death penalty.
The victim's father said that the verdict has come as a relief for the family, but that he cannot authoritatively say whether his late daughter has got justice. He indicated his dissatisfaction with the punishment, saying that steps will be taken to seek its enhancement after discussions with the public prosecutor.
Dr Das' mother said that the family can only wish for the maximum punishment and it was up to the court to decide what sentence should be given. She said that the family will go in appeal, but declined to comment on whether her daughter got justice.
She tearfully said that she wants the convict to suffer the same pain that her daughter underwent "as he stabbed her 27 times".
The court on March 17 had convicted Sandeep for various offences under the IPC, including murder, destruction of evidence and wrongful restraint.
It had also held him guilty under the provisions of the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of violence and damage to property) Act 2012.
Sandeep was brought to the taluk hospital by the police for medical treatment during the small hours of May 10, 2023 and he went on a sudden attacking spree using a pair of surgical scissors kept in the room where his leg injury was being dressed.
A school teacher by profession, he had initially attacked the police officers and another person who had accompanied him to the hospital and then turned on the young Dr Das, who could not escape to safety.
She was stabbed several times and later succumbed to her injuries in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she was rushed following the attack.
Dr Das was a native of the Kaduthuruthy area of Kottayam district and the only child of her parents.
She was a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was working at the Kottarakkara taluk hospital as part of her training.
Sandeep had called the emergency number 112, claiming that his life was in danger. When local police located him, he was standing close by his home, surrounded by local residents and his relatives, and had a wound on his leg following an alleged quarrel.
He was then taken to the hospital for dressing the wound.
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