Bulandshahr accused releases video, claims innocence

The main accused in the killing of a senior police official in Monday's clash in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr, released a video claiming innocence on Wednesday even as two children aged between 11 and 12 years were among those booked for cow slaughter in the district.

In the video, absconding saffron leader Yogesh Raj claimed that he was sitting inside the Chingrawati police outpost, when the mob had attacked the cops.

''I was sitting inside the police station and was in the process of lodging a complaint of cow slaughter,'' he is heard saying in the video.

After reported recovery of cow bones from a sugarcane field in Bulandshahr district, about 500 kilometre from Lucknow, a mob attacked a police outpost on Monday which was followed by a clash between the mob and the police, in which a police officer was killed.

The FIR, registered in connection with the killing of Syana police station in-charge Subodh Kumar Singh, mentions the name of Yogesh Raj, the district convener of Bajrang Dal, as the main accused.

A VHP worker and a local BJP leader's name also find their mention in the FIR, sources said.

''Yogesh was leading the mob that attacked the police out-post and fired at the police,'' the FIR said.

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The cow slaughter complaint, however, mentioned seven people, including eleven and 12-year-old boys, both brothers.

The father of the boys said that his sons were made to sit in the police station for several hours.

''They are being harassed. They have nothing to do with cow slaughtering. Can they do so?,'' he said.

Police continued to conduct raids in different parts of the state to nab Raj and other accused in the violence. So far, four persons have been arrested. 

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was formed to probe the incident, is likely to submit its report late on Wednesday night.