Inspector’s murder during Bulandshahr violence just an ‘accident’: Yogi Adityanath

Agencies

December 8, 2018

New Delhi: Days, after a police inspector was killed during the Bulandshahr violence, erupted over alleged cow slaughter, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called the murder an 'accident', adding that whoever responsible for it will be punished. Adityanath also said that the cop's killing was not an incident of 'mob lynching'.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister's statement came reportedly on Friday while he was speaking at an event in the national capital. His reaction came a day after he met the family members of the slain inspector. The chief minister met Singh's wife and the two sons at his Kalidas Marg residence in Lucknow.

On Monday, Adityanath had declared a compensation of Rs 40 lakh for the wife, Rs 10 lakh for the parents and a government job for a family member of the inspector, who was the initial investigating officer in the 2015 Akhlaq lynching case.

So far, nine people have been arrested in connection with the violence.

A mob of around 400 people, including right-wing activists, clashed with the police on December 3 in Siana area of Bulandshahr district, after allegedly discovering cow carcasses thrown in a nearby jungle. The angry mob set fire to dozens of vehicles, stone pelted and fired at police who then retaliated with gunfire. Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, the station house officer of Siana who once investigated Akhlaq lynching case, and 20-year-old Sumit Kumar were killed in the incident.

Following the massive political and public outrage over the incident, the police arrested four people a day later. However, the main suspect – Bajrang Dal Bulandshahr convenor Yogesh Raj – is still absconding. Nearly 90 people have been named in an FIR filed in the case.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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