Man who attacked Bulandshahr cop with axe held

Police have arrested a man, accused of attacking Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh with an axe during the December 3 violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district over alleged cow slaughter, officials said on Tuesday.

The arrest of Kalua from a bus stand on Monday night takes the total number of accused held in this case to 30, a police officer said.

Kalua told police that on December 3, he was felling a tree to block a road. When the inspector stopped him from doing so, he attacked him with an axe, the officer said.

On December 27, police had arrested Prashant Nat, who allegedly shot the inspector dead after the axe attack.

Five people were arrested on December 18 for their alleged roles in the mob violence and the cow slaughter case.

Violence had erupted after cow carcasses were found in a field near Mahaw village in the district. The inspector and a youth had died during the violence.

A first information report against 27 named people and 50-60 unidentified people was registered at the Siyana police station for the violence at the Chingrawathi police post.

One of the main suspects among the 27 named in the FIR, local Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, is still at large, while an Army jawan, Jitendra Malik, has been arrested and remanded in custody.