40 girls among 190 booked for protest; oppn attacks UP govt

Uttar Pradesh government came under attack from opposition parties after police booked over 190 people, including around 40 girl students.

Sambhal (UP): Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday came under attack from opposition parties after police booked over 190 people, including around 40 girl students, for demonstrating against non-inclusion of their names in some government schemes here.

Police here booked over 190 people after they had staged protest demonstration against non-inclusion of their names in Kanya Vidyadhan, Hamarai Beti and Unka Kal schemes of the state government yesterday. "Some girl students and demonstrators blocked roads and torched the hoarding of Minister Iqbal Mehmood yesterday after which an FIR was lodged against them," Superintendent of Police Tehsildar Singh said. Opposition parties attacked the state government in unison today and demanded withdrawal of cases against them saying it would spoil career of the students. In a letter written to UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Congress MLA Akhilesh Pratap Singh said the cases and allegations against girl students were a sensitive issue. "Before initiating any legal process against the girls, serious thought should be given on its future repercussions," Singh said. "The shortcoming is on the part of the local administration and probably you were not taken into confidence before lodging criminal case," he said. I request you that cases lodged against the students should be immediately withdrawn, Singh demanded. On the other hand, BJP, while condemning lodging of cases against girls also demanded their immediate withdrawal. "On the one hand, the government claims of providing facilities for uplift of girls, while on the other, FIR is lodged against them when they speak of their rights," BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said. "If the government is really sensitive towards the betterment of girls in the state, the CM should immediately order withdrawal of cases lodge in Sambhal," he said. PTI