LUCKNOW: A purported video of Ballia resident Raj Singh, described by cops as an alleged sharpshooter arrested in connection with the murder probe of Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, surfaced on social media a day after his detention, triggering fresh controversy over his inflammatory remarks and warnings of “aggressive violence”.In the 2-minute-41-second clip, Singh is seen speaking about the alleged persecution of Hindus in West Bengal and referring to the reported killing of Dipu Das, a Hindu man allegedly burnt alive in Bangladesh. Claiming that Hindus were under attack in Bengal and neighbouring regions, Singh accused the government led by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee of failing to protect them.“We respect the Constitution, therefore we are silent. But if we come out on the streets again, there will be no place left to hide,” Singh says in the video, while invoking Maharana Pratap and claiming that members of his community had historically “played with swords, spears and weapons”.He appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure strict punishment for those responsible for the killing of Dipu Das and demanded protection for the victim’s family. Singh further warned that if any harm came to the family, “aggressive violence” could erupt in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh.The video also shows Singh urging people to unite for a “fight for justice” and support Hindus through both ground mobilisation and social media campaigns. He ended his speech with the slogan “Batoge to katoge”.The clip emerged amid heightened political tension following Singh’s detention by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder of Chandranath Rath in Kolkata. Uttar Pradesh Police had detained Raj Singh from Ayodhya before he was taken to Kolkata for questioning.Police officials have not yet issued an official statement on the authenticity of the viral video or whether separate legal action would be initiated over the remarks made in it.According to police sources, Raj Singh is a resident of Anand Nagar near the police lines in Ballia city and identifies himself on social media as the state general secretary of the All India Kshatriya Mahasabha. His social media accounts contain posts linked to “Mission 2026” and photographs with political leaders.Sources said Singh had earlier contested a councillor election from Ward No. 15 in Ballia and had previously figured in a firing-related case involving an egg vendor in the Sadar Kotwali area.Meanwhile, Singh’s mother, Jamwanti Singh, alleged that the Special Operations Group (SOG) had unlawfully detained her son.Speaking to reporters at Ballia District Court, she claimed the family had travelled to Lucknow to attend a wedding before visiting Kichhauchha Sharif in Ambedkar Nagar and later Ayodhya for darshan at the Ram temple.She alleged that while returning from Ayodhya, their vehicle was intercepted near a roadside dhaba and all occupants, including women and children, were detained overnight. “The next morning I was briefly allowed to meet Raj before Bengal Police took him away on a flight,” she claimed.Raj Singh’s lawyer, Harivant Singh, also alleged illegal detention and claimed proper transit remand procedures were not initially followed. He said CCTV footage showed Raj Singh at his Ballia residence on April 4, 5 and 6 and maintained that his client had no connection with the Kolkata murder case.
