Saharanpur SSP SC Dubey and DM NP Singh were sacked for their inability to control the violence in the wake of clashes between two communities in the area, reports said on Wednesday.
Several people sustained injuries on Tuesday while returning from a BSP rally addressed by party chief Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district. According to reports, people, mainly Dalits, were attacked in Chandrapur and Shabbirpur area.
The clash erupted right after the rally when a group of men belonging to upper caste started assaulting people with sharp-edged weapons and guns.
Following the incident, the government swung into action and senior police officials were rushed to the spot to assess the situation. DGP (Headquarters) has also sought a report from the Saharanpur Police in this regard.
Earlier, BSP chief Mayawati held the BJP-led UP government responsible for the violence in Saharanpur and alleged that the ruling party had failed to stop its own brigade from attacking weaker sections.
Thakurs in Shabbirpur village had prevented Dalit residents from installing a BR Ambedkar statue on the premises of a temple. Later, on May 5, a Dalit group had objected to a procession of Thakurs to mark the birth anniversary of Rajput king Maharana Pratap, triggering violence, in which one person was killed and over 15 were injured.
Here are the highlights:
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CM Yogi Adityanath summons DGP Sulkhan Singh to his office
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PK Pandey new Saharanpur DM, to take over shortly; Bablu Kumar new SSP
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A delegation of BSP leaders, including Ram Achal Rajbhar, Lalji Verma, Inderjeet Saroj and SC Mishra, arrive at CM Yogi Adityanath's office
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Earlier on Wednesday, PM Modi took stock of law and order situation via video conferencing as he interacted with DGP, Chief Secretary and Chief Secretaries of Home Ministry of various states. UP DGP Sulkhan Singh, Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar and Principal Secatary Arvind Kumar interacted with PM Modi via video conferencing.
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Saharanpur DM NP Singh also sacked over inability to control violence in the wake of clashes between two communities in the area
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Saharanpur SSP SC Dubey sacked over inability to control violence in the wake of clashes between two communities in the area
#5:30 PM
SPs of all districts have been alerted following Saharanpur violence
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After Saharanpur violence, organisations advocating casteism have been banned to stage protests
ALSO READ | UP: Several injured in group clash in Saharanpur after BSP chief Mayawati's rally
Ruling, opposition parties spar over Saharanpur clashes:
The fresh caste violence in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh that left one youth dead sparked a political slugfest on Wednesday with BSP chief Mayawati putting the blame on the BJP government and a senior state minister accusing the opposition party of “shedding tears”.
One person was killed and four others were injured yesterday as fresh violence erupted in Saharanpur, which has been witnessing inter-caste clashes since last month.
The Yogi Adityanath government also came under attack from the CPI(M) which accused it of backing upper caste “perpetrators” of the violence and asked it to give up its “partisan” stand to ensure that law prevailed in Saharanpur.
As the caste clashes posed the first major law and order challenge for the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) government after it assumed office on March 19, Mayawati alleged that casteist forces in the BJP and RSS have been given a free hand to misuse official machinery in order to harm social amity and brotherhood.
ALSO READ | BSP supremo Mayawati sets off for violence-hit Saharanpur, asks BJP to stop Dalit persecution
“After having damaged the communal atmosphere to gain political and electoral victory, the casteist, mischievous and criminal elements in the BJP and RSS are now bent upon unleashing casteist violence,” the Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) chief said in a party release issued in Lucknow. During her visit to Saharanpur, she had accused the ruling party of failing to stop its own brigade from attacking weaker sections.
In the statement, she also alleged that the administration was hand in glove with BJP and RSS leaders.
At a press conference on immunisation campaign in Lucknow, Siddharth Nath Singh, who is the state’s health minister and also the official spokesperson, returned the fire and targeted the opposition parties.
He said it would have been better if those shedding tears over Saharanpur caste clashes had got themselves associated with the immunisation campaign, in an apparent reference to Mayawati. He, however, did not take her name.
He said the state government has taken the Saharanpur incident very seriously and sent four senior officials with the instructions to return only after normalcy is restored.
The chief minister has made an appeal to the people to maintain peace and has also sought cooperation from opposition parties, he said.
The CPI(M) condemned the “murderous” attacks on dalits in Saharanpur and demanded that the state government take firm action against those allegedly assaulting the community members.
“The situation is totally deteriorating and the atrocities on Dalits and Muslims are taking place right in front of the eyes of the police.
ALSO READ | Fresh violence strikes Saharanpur; police chowki burnt, 20 vehicles torched amidst stone-pelting, clashes
“It is a clear case of complete absence of governance,” CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said in New Delhi.
The CPI(M) politburo, in a statement, attributed the “steady” deterioration in the situation to the state government allegedly not showing the will to act tough against the upper caste “perpetrators.”
“The CPI(M) demands firm action against all those involved in the atrocities against the Dalits. The administration has to provide full protection to the vulnerable people,” the party said.
In her statement, Mayawati alleged that it was because of the neglect of the administration that BJP supporters targeted Dalits and indulged in violence after she left Saharanpur yesterday leading to the death of one person.
ALSO READ | Saharanpur: Members of two groups clash over loud music; 1 dead, 15 injured
“Ever since BJP came to power in the state, law and order and crime control has deteriorated as in other BJP-ruled states and the saffron brigade has got a free hand to carry out communal and casteist activities to harass people... everyone needs to remain vigilant,” she said.
“The Dalits are demanding their constitutional rights but casteist forces in the BJP and RSS are out to crush them,” she said, adding that those who had condemned Dalit icons all their lives are today out to proclaim themselves as the saviours of Dalits and backwards for the sake of votes.
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