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Shikhar Agarwal
Shikhar Agarwal is a Hindu nationalist and BJP youth leader from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh. He is one of the accused in the brutal murder of Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Bulandshahr in 2018.
On December 3, 2018, a mob of 400 people, including right-wing activists, violently rampaged through the Chingrawathi village, accusing Muslims of throwing cow carcasses in a jungle nearby. Singh, who was trying to control the wild mob, was hit by a stone when his driver bundled him into his SUV and tried to take him to the hospital. However, a violent Hindu mob led by Agarwal followed the car, cornered it in a field, and shot the police officer dead with a gun.
Singh was also the investigating officer in the Dadri lynching case in 2015. He regularly visited Dadri village to ensure peace and harmony among the communities even after the incident.
Agarwal was among the 28 named accused, and 60 more unnamed protesters were included in the first information report (FIR). The cases were lodged under over a dozen sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 395 (dacoity), 333 (causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty), and 124A (sedition).
In August 2019, when Agarwal was released on bail, he was welcomed with cheers and the slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram, ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai,’ and ‘Vande Mataram,’ according to India Today.
In July 2020, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appointed Agarwal as the Bulandshahr district general secretary of PM Jankalyankari Yojna Jagrukta Abhiyan (PMJYJA) but had to withdraw after criticism from various quarters.