Nagendra Pratap Singh is having a stressful summer. Last month, Singh, a senior leader of the Hindu Yuva Vahini from Meerut, spent most of his time denying his group’s role in the assault of a couple after barging into their house in Meerut.
Today, Singh has spent greater part of the day explaining to reporters that Hindu Yuva Vahini had no role to play in the lynching of 59-year-old Ghulam Ahmad, a resident of Sohi village in Bulandhahr district of UP.
Apparently, Ahmad was beaten by people who claimed to be members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, a group set up in 2002 by Adityanath, now the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Police has already arrested three people, who allegedly belong to the outfit.
“We had no role to play in this. The police is framing us,” says Nagendra Pratap Singh.
What exactly happened?
According to PTI reports, a Muslim boy of Sohi village near Pahasu in Bulandshahr district had eloped with a Hindu girl of neighbouring village Fazalpur triggering tension in the area. On Tuesday, members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini reached the village and asked the Muslim families of the area to help them find the couples. According to the deceased’s son, Vakil Ahmad, they thrashed Gulam Muhammad in his mango orchard after he couldn’t help the Vahini members.
Abduction or elopement?
According to Nagendra Pratap Singh, it was a case of abduction. “Late last month, the boy kidnapped an 18-year-old Hindu girl, a resident of village Fazalpur. The girl’s family lodged a case of kidnapping against Yusuf at the Pahasu police station. Members of our group also went to the police station to find out why is the investigation being delayed,” says Singh.
Apparently, members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini merely wanted to complain to the police about the boy’s family. “We told the police that the boy’s family is trying to protect him. But the police used that against us and automatically assumed that we lynched that man,” says Singh.
What does the police say?
According to this Hindustan Times report, a police team has recovered the couple. Now, the statement of the girl will be recorded before a magistrate. ScoopWhoop News spoke to the SP of Bulandshahr, Jagdish Sharma, “The investigation will depend a lot on the girl’s statement.She will speak in front of the magistrate. However, we don’t conduct investigations based on hunches like the members of Hindu Yuva Vahini are suggesting. We didn’t arrest three people without any reason,” he says
