Back31 killed in Muzaffarnagar riots; calls mount for president’s rule in UP
State governor’s report indicates administrative lapses fuelled the unrest
Premium(HT )
New Delhi: As communal violence continued to rage in western Uttar Pradesh on Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called chief minister Akhilesh Yadav to promise the Centre’s backing for efforts to control the situation amid demands for the dismissal of the state government and imposition of direct federal rule.
By Monday evening, the death toll in the riots centred on Muzaffarnagar district had risen to 31, up from 21 reported by Press Trust of India on Sunday. A report by the state’s governor, meanwhile, indicated that administrative lapses had fuelled the unrest.
Singh spoke to Akhilesh Yadav “about steps being taken to restore peace in the areas which witnessed violence recently," a government statement said. “The Prime Minister condemned the violence and expressed grief and shock over the loss of innocent lives. He assured the Chief Minister that the Centre will extend all required assistance to the State Government in tackling the situation," the statement said.
Singh’s call followed Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati’s demand that the Samajwadi Party (SP) government in the state be dismissed for its failure to stop the riots in Muzaffarnagar. Mayawati said the law and order situation in the state had worsened since the SP government took power in March last year.
She alleged that the SP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had conspired to vitiate the atmosphere in the state so that they could benefit from it in the national elections due in May 2014.
“I want the governor to submit an honest report on the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh and the central government also should act to carry out its constitutional responsibilities," Mayawati said at a press briefing. “President’s rule should be imposed immediately in the state."
Charging the SP government with “miserably failing" to contain the riots in Muzaffarnagar, Mayawati said there have been more than 100 communal incidents in Uttar Pradesh since Akhilesh Yadav took over.
Governor B. L. Joshi, in a report on the Muzaffarnagar violence, cited a sequence of events beginning 27 August, when three people were killed in Kawal town after an incident of street harassment of women. PTI reports said Joshi had also stated other details regarding administrative lapses as well as the situation prevailing presently.
“The governor should have sent this report much before the violence started in Muzaffarnagar," Mayawati said.
The army was called in to control the situation after clashes between Muslims and Hindus over the weekend. The toll in the violence in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas has climbed to 31, said R.M. Srivastava, the state’s principal secretary, home. District magistrate Kashal Raj Sharma said one person was stabbed to death in Meerapur town on Monday. Sharma said at least six people had been taken into police custody for interrogation in this connection.
The chief minister, however, alleged political conspiracy behind the violence.“The violence is a political conspiracy to defame and destabilize my government which is doing a good job for the poor, the youths and all sections of the society," Akilesh Yadav, who was seen wearing a skullcap, told reporters on the sidelines of a function to flag off the first batch of Haj pilgrims from the state.
The BJP echoed the demand for presidential rule in the state. “BJP will support any move by the union government to impose President’s rule in the state. The law and order situation in the state was already deteriorating and there have been more an dozen communal clashes in the state since the Samajwadi Party came to power. People have lost faith in the state administration and it is difficult to believe that the state government is even interested in maintaining communal harmony in Uttar Pradesh," said BJP president Rajnath Singh.
Blaming the Uttar Pradesh government for not taking appropriate action in time to stop the communal clashes, Rajnath Singh said it had failed to perform its constitutional and administrative duties.
“It is not in the interest of Uttar Pradesh to allow this government to continue. The violence and death of people in the state is extremely painful. The communal harmony in the state has worsened because of the Samajwadi Party government," Rajnath Singh said.
But the Congress ruled out dismissal of the state government. “It is time for the Centre and the state to strongly work....to restore peace and not the time for President’s rule....Today is the time to follow Rajdharma properly by handling the situation firmly," party spokesman Bhakt Charan Das told reporters in New Delhi.
Both the BJP and the SP were engaged in efforts to polarise the electorate before next year’s national polls, according to Uttar Pradesh-based political analyst Badri Narayan.
“While Hindus organised Maha Panchayats (grand village council meeting) against the eve-teasing incident (in Kawal that had triggered the violence which later spread to other parts of the district), the SP leaders and the police provoked Muslims to hold parallel panchayats, which have led to the tension. The situation is extremely dangerous," he said.
Narayan said both the SP and BJP would take advantage of the situation with the former claiming Muslim votes and the latter trying to consolidate Hindu votes. “If the Congress party does not intervene strongly, it is going to be the biggest loser at the ground level," Narayan warned.
PTI contributed to this story.
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