Main accused in Dadri lynching case to contest LS elections
What's the story
Rupendra Rana, one of the main accused in the 2015 lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri, will contest 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Noida on Uttar Pradesh Navnirman Sena's ticket.
It will also field Haryanvi singer Vikas Kumar from Mathura who recently sent notice to the makers of 'Veerey Ki Wedding' for allegedly using his song 'Hat Ja Tau' without his permission.
Here's more.
Why?
Rana, the perfect person to protect cows: UP Navnirman Sena
"Rana is the perfect person to protect cows as he had spent 2.5 years in prison for gaumata," said UP Navnirman Sena Chairperson Amit Jani, according to The Times of India.
"Rather than making false promises of doing something for cow, Rana had proven his commitment to the cause in 2015," he added.
Further, Jani said singer Vikas is a Brahmin and will appease Mathura.
Details
Party will start rally from October 14
"The first election rally in Agra, Mathura and Noida will be jointly organized in Mathura on October 14," Jani said, threatening that he would contest all LS seats from the state if BJP tries to create any hurdle.
The outfit is only contesting from five seats, including Aligarh and Firozabad, and claims its five 'Pandavas' will give tough competition to the BJP candidates.
Background
Backstory: The 2015 Akhlaq lynching case
On the night of September 28, 2015, a mob had attacked Mohammad Akhlaq and his son Danish at Bisada village in Dadri over suspicion of slaughtering a cow and storing beef at their house. Akhlaq had succumbed to his injuries on the spot while Danish survived.
18 youths, including 3 juveniles, were charged with assault and murder.
Rupendra Rana was one of those 18.
Information
Party of lynchers?
UP Navnirman Sena had also offered a ticket from Agra to Shambhulal Regar, who was arrested for allegedly lynching and burning a Muslim man in Rajasthan's Rajsamand area in December 2017.