New Delhi: Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh on Monday accused the Akhilesh Yadav Government of failing to maintain law and order in Uttar Pradesh, and said that his main priority is to restore peace in Muzaffarnagar, where 27 people died and more than three dozen were injured in communal violence over the weekend.
“My priority is to visit Muzaffarnagar, talk to the officers and find all means to restore peace in region,” he told media here.
The Civil Aviation Minister said that he is ready to take responsibility of the people who have fled from the affected areas fearing clashes.
“I will make committees in villages from where the villagers have fled and bring them back to their homes,” he added.
The RLD chief had earlier on Sunday demanded that the Centre immediately impose President’s rule in Uttar Pradesh due to the complete failure of the administration in maintaining law and order in the state and the inability to control the riots that have engulfed the region.
“There have been more than 100 cases of communal riots in Uttar Pradesh since the Samajwadi Party came to power in the state. The latest riots in Muzaffarnagar have exposed the weak, ineffective and careless government, which is instigating the riots from the backdoor. The situation has become so bad that a senior police officer deserted the region for fear of his life. The Indian Army had to be called in for restoring peace,” he said.
He said that the State government deploys 8,000 security personnel to stop the non-existent Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) yatra but failed to recognise the need to provide adequate forces to the region that has been witnessing continued tension and violence.
“The government failed to act against those prominent political leaders who have been instigating the people with hateful speeches leading to the flare up of communal riots,” he said.
Singh said that the Samajwadi Party has been dividing the society on communal lines and is trying to divide the people who have been living in harmony and peace.
“It is because the Samajwadi Party is fearful of the voters’ ire against the government’s non-performance and they have resorted to communalising the region,” he added.
He further appealed to the people to maintain calm and not to get instigated by the rumours that are being spread by nefarious elements, and continue the age-old tradition living in peace and harmony.
Fourteen more people were killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district, taking the toll from two days of deadly communal clashes to 27.
The administration has issued shoot-at-sight orders, as the violence has spread to the rural areas. The violence spread to Baghpat district late last night, where one person was killed and four others injured.
The Army staged the flag march and took over law and order responsibilities in the districts of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli. The army has also been deployed in Meerut.
ADG Arun Kumar, who is camping in Muzaffarnagar, said that an IG-level officer has been stationed in each nearby districts of Meerut, Shamli, Baghpat, Saharanpur and Bijnore to avert any unwanted incident.
Violence broke out in the Kawal area of Muzaffarnagar on Saturday when members of a community returning from a panchayat meeting in Naglabadhod, three kilometres from Kawal, clashed with members of another community.
ANI
