Arrests For Bulandshahr Cow Slaughter Lead To More Questions Than Answers

Confusion surrounds the arrests of four men - all Muslims - on charges of slaughtering cows in Bulandshahr in western Uttar Pradesh.

The discovery of the carcasses had become the trigger for an outbreak of mob violence culminating in the murder of a police officer and a student last Monday.

Shortly after the discovery of the carcasses, the police registered a First Information Report or FIR based on a complaint by Yogesh Raj, a Bajrang Dal leader.

In it, he named seven men, all from Nayabas village, 11 km from the site where the carcasses were discovered.

By Wednesday morning, the police arrested four men - two of whom were not named in the FIR.

In a separate case over the mob violence and the killing of the police officer, the police have named 27 people, and filed charges against over 50 unidentified individuals. Nine have been arrested in this case so far but accused No. 1 - who is yet to be arrested one week later - is Yogesh Raj.

One of those arrested based on Yogesh Raj's FIR was Sarfuddin, a garment trader.

Sarfuddin (left) was at a congregation 40 km away on the day of the violence, his family said.

Sarfuddin's family claimed that on the day the carcasses were discovered, he was 40 km away at an Ijtama, a three-day Muslim religious convention held on the outskirts of Bulandshahr.

"He (Sarfuddin) was at the Ijtama, he had parking duty that day," said Mohammad Hussain, Sarfuddin's brother, while holding out Sarfuddin's duty badge. "I have proof that he wasn't here, one can track his GPS location and check if he ever went to Mahav," he added.

Sarfuddin's name came up because of history between Yogesh and him, claims his brother. "Like he (Yogesh) is Hinduwadi, we are also Muslimwadi. We will fight for our rights," said Hussain.

According to Hussain, it all began when the microphone of their mosque was taken away allegedly by the right-wing outfits operating in the village. "We end up missing the azaan when we are sleeping because we can't hear it," he said.

Mohammad Hussain said Yogesh Raj, of the Bajrang Dal, framed Sarfuddin.

Sarfuddin had been pulling all strings to get a new mic installed in his capacity as the head of mosque administration, but "Yogesh never liked that" the villagers said.

The police also arrested 26-year-old Sajid Ali, also named in the FIR.

Sajid, however, does not live in the village. His uncle Shabbir, a tea vendor said "Sajid moved to Faridabad 12 years ago."

He told us that Sajid has been selling cigarettes in Faridabad for years, and had visited Bulandshahr for the Ijtema but hadn't come to the village.

Sajid Ali moved to Faridabad 12 years ago, his family said.

"Last he visited me was over three months ago, when my mother passed away," he said. Both Sarfuddin and Sajid surrendered to the police on Tuesday.

The police also picked up two men not named in the FIR - 24-year old Asif, who repairs watches, and Banne Khan, a daily wage labourer.

Asif, like Sajid had moved away from his village in Aurangabad, 20 km away from spot of violence, four years ago and settled in Mumbai after he got married, his family said.

The police did not even know Asif's name when they came to arrest him, Najrana, his mother-in-law, said.

He had come to his village after attending the Ijtema when the police came knocking. "The police just came, woke him up and took him away. They didn't even know his name, someone else told them it was Asif," said Najrana, his mother-in-law who lives with his family in Mumbai.

Banne Khan lives nearly 50 km from Bulandshahr and 65 kilometres from the spot of the violence.

Banne Khan has seven children and is the only earning member of his family, Afsar, his relative, said.

He was arrested by the police on Tuesday night. "He had finished work at the pradhan's house and was sleeping when the police came," said Afsar, his relative. Khan has seven children and is the only earning member of the family.

Villagers gathered outside the kachcha two-room house of Khan. "All this is politics, it is BJP's government, that's why (he was arrested). Look at his house, he is a poor man," said Ansar, his neighbour. "He has no relatives in Siana, he may have never even been there ever," added Afsar. Siana is a Kasba where Mahav village is located.

Asked about the basis of these arrests, senior police officials said that Sarfuddin and Sajid had been arrested because they were named in the FIR.

But they did not clarify why Khan and Asif had been arrested in the case, despite repeated attempts for answers.