The recent arrests of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader Raja Agrawal and three others in connection with the Chhattisgarh mob lynching case have sparked significant unrest in Raipur.
Bajrang Dal members, along with sadhus and saints, staged a large-scale protest on Wednesday, demanding the release of the detained individuals.
The Bajrang Dal, outraged by the arrests, organized a “jail bharo” movement, surrounding the City Kotwali police station.
Demonstrators, including prominent religious leaders, including Rajiv Lochan Maharaj, Sarveshwar Das Maharaj, and Acharya Ved Prakash, chanted the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ outside the police station.
Approximately 5,000 Bajrang Dal activists participated in the protest, which commenced around 3 PM. To prevent any major disturbances, police deployed four Assistant Superintendents of Police, ten Circle Superintendents of Police, Deputy Superintendents of Police, and 15 to 20 station heads at the scene.
During the protest, the saints warned that if the detained cow protectors were not released, the number of protestors could swell significantly. They accused the police of treating the detained individuals like terrorists, stating that they were unfairly charged while attempting to protect cows.
The unrest stems from an incident in which three men from Uttar Pradesh, Chand Miyan, Guddu Khan, and Saddam Khan, allegedly involved in cattle theft, jumped off the Mahanadi bridge in Arang to evade capture by a cow vigilante group, resulting in their deaths.
Raja Agrawal, identified through his BJYM affiliation on social media, and another accused, Harsh Mishra, are currently being interrogated by the police. Agrawal was taken to the crime scene for forensic reconstruction.
The police have charged the accused under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 307 (attempt to murder). The ongoing investigation, led by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Additional SP Kirtan Rathore, continues to face challenges due to conflicting accounts and a lack of direct witnesses.
The SIT is focused on gathering forensic and technical evidence to reconstruct the events leading to the tragic deaths.
Earlier on June 21, leaders of the Muslim community also staged a significant protest, alleging delays in arresting the mob lynching suspects. Approximately 300 participants symbolically surrendered themselves for arrest. Rahil Raufi, the national president of Hussaini Sena, accused the police of yielding to political pressure by not promptly arresting the suspects.
The arrest of Raja Agrawal and the subsequent protests by Bajrang Dal, alongside the earlier demonstrations by the Muslim community, have heightened scrutiny and debate over the incident. The situation remains tense in Raipur as the investigation proceeds.