Lucknow: Over 2,000 SP workers were on Monday
arrested across Uttar Pradesh on the first day of the party`s
three-day long agitation against alleged corruption and
atrocities of the state government.
An SP spokesman, however, claimed that more than one lakh
party workers were arrested across the state.
Special Director General of Police Brij Lal said that
government offices were not locked at any place in the state
and only 2,327 SP workers, including Leader of Opposition
Shivpal Singh Yadav, six MPs and 17 MLAs were arrested.
"There was complete normalcy across the state due to
tight police arrangements made by the government. There was no
report of an untoward incident or violence from any part of
the state and only 2,327 workers have been arrested," he said.
SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary, however, alleged that
while SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and state unit president
Akhilesh Yadav were put under house arrest, more than one lakh
party workers and leaders were arrested across the state.
Authorities denied that the two SP leaders were put under
"house arrest".
"The two leaders are not under house arrest. In fact,
Mulayam Singh Yadav was scheduled to leave for New Delhi by
a morning flight, which has been delayed," District Magistrate
Anil Kumar Sagar said.
Reacting to it, the SP spokesman said, "The party supremo
and state president were allowed to leave for Delhi only after
they send a breach of privilege notice to the Lok Sabha
speaker."
The SP spokesman also alleged that party workers were
lathicharged in Lucknow when they, led by Leader of Opposition
Shivpal Yadav were heading towards the collectorate to stage a
demonstration.
He alleged that party workers were also lathicharged
in Etawah, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Hamirpur, Deoria, Jaunpur
injuring a number of SP workers and Leader of Opposition in
Vidhan Parishad Ahmad Hasan was not allowed to come out of the
circuit house in Allahabad.
Meanwhile, as many as hundred SP leaders and workers were
arrested in the collectorate premises in Ghaziabad while
demonstrating against the government, Dasna Jail
Superintendent Viresh Raj Sharma said.
Among those arrested were Ghaziabad President Aulad
Ali, Ghaziabad Mahanagar President Ram Kishore Agarwal,
District Secretary Dham Bir Dabas, he said.
SP national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav was
arrested with MLAs and other leaders and workers in Mainpuri.
"All the workers and leaders have been send to jail,"
he said adding that police used minor force at two-three
places including Lucknow.
Over 200 SP members were arrested in Etah while around
140 party members were arrested from Varanasi.
Meanwhile, in a similar agitation, over 100 SP workers
were arrested in Mathura.
Mathura district administration has made adequate
arrangements in the district in view of the party`s agitation,
official sources said.
Alleging that the Samajwadi Party agitation in the state
was a "flop show", ruling BSP said that after `dramay
bazi` (enacting drama) in Lucknow, SP supremo Mulayam Singh
Yadav accepted reality and fled to Delhi with son.
"The people of the state have discarded the SP agitation
and it was a flop show. Realising it, SP supremo did drama
baji and fled to New Delhi," BSP state president Swami Prasad
Maurya told reporters.
Before leaving for Delhi, Mulayam claimed that the
Mayawati government had ordered a crackdown on SP workers.
"Even I and Akhilesh were put under house arrest this
morning," he alleged. Akhilesh is the President of the party`s
Uttar Pradesh unit.
"It was breach of parliamentary privilege by the
administration and the police by not allowing us to come out
of out Vikramaditya Marg residence," he said.
The SP supremo said that the party had launched a
peaceful protest against "corruption and atrocities" of the
state government.
PTI
