Bulandshahr (Uttar Pradesh)| Shikhar Agarwal, state general secretary of the Nishad Party and one of the main accused in the 2018 Bulandshahr violence, has been booked for abetting a group of people to kill the person who shot Phoolan. Phoolan Devi, a dacoit-turned-politician, was shot dead in 2001. The case was registered on Monday after a video was shared on the social media platform, which showed Agarwal and some others taking an oath to kill Sher Singh Rana.
The alleged incident took place on Sunday on the 20th death anniversary of Phoolan Devi at Shikarpur village Parauli in Bulandshahr.
Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Santosh Kumar Singh said, “We have registered an FIR against two people including Shikhar Agarwal for disturbing peace and promoting hatred between different communities and efforts are on to arrest them. ”
Meanwhile, Agarwal said, “My statement was taken out of context. I did not say that we will kill Rana. What we meant was that he (Rana) should be hanged after due process of law.” But now the police is targeting me and my family.”
The FIR registered after the incident said, “It has come to our notice through a video uploaded on social media that the death anniversary of former MP Phoolan Devi was being celebrated at Naresh Kashyap’s house in Parauli village. In the video The accused of Bulandshahr violence has been shown. Shikhar Agarwal is provoking people by raising hateful and vengeful slogans to kill Sher Singh Rana.”
Both Naresh Kashyap and Shikhar Aggarwal have been booked under IPC section 505-2 (statement causing or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes).
Agarwal is one of the main accused in the 2018 Bulandshahr violence case, in which police inspector Subodh Singh was killed by a mob protesting an alleged cow slaughter.
Samajwadi Party MP Phoolan Devi was shot dead on 25 July 2001, allegedly by Sher Singh Rana, outside her official residence in Delhi.
After 13 years in 2014, Rana was sentenced to life imprisonment. The Delhi High Court had granted him bail in October 2016.
