Violence escalates in post-poll UP

SP onslaught continues: State yet to emerge out of hangover

A BSP activist was killed in a clash in Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district, as violence by Samajwadi Party workers continued across the state on Saturday, despite appeals and warnings by the party leadership including Chief Minister-designate Akhilesh Yadav.

In UP’s Moradabad district, a Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA’s vehicle allegedly knocked down a policeman injuring him seriously. The supporters of the MLA assaulted the cops, who reached there, after receiving the information and insisted on taking the vehicle and the driver to the police station.
The vehicle that belonged to the SP MLA Ashutosh Maurya hit a constable, Mohammad Khalique, while he was on way to Chandausi on his motor cycle on Friday evening, sources said.

As the cops from the nearby police stations reached the spot and insisted on taking the vehicle and the driver to the police station, the MLA's supporters assaulted them. The MLA later forcibly took away the vehicle from the police station. No case has been registered so far in this regard, sources said.

Reports of SP workers assaulting their political opponents have poured in from different parts of the state soon after the counting of votes for the Assembly elections.

On Holi day, SP workers who were supporters of the SP MLA Aridaman Singh, allegedly hacked to death husband of a Dalit village pradhan who was a BSP supporter in Agra district. The victim Munna Lal was stabbed several times by some assailants. A case of murder has been registered against Singh in this regard.

SP workers also allegedly torched several houses of Dalits in Sant Ravidas Nagar on Thursday, while in Ambedkar Nagar district, SP workers thrashed Dalits for allegedly voting for a rival candidate. Three days back, the workers had allegedly torched over a dozen huts at a village in UP’s Sitapur district for not voting in favour of the SP nominee.

A mob of SP supporters had assaulted and threatened scribes at Jhansi town after the SP candidate lost the polls. They also took some journalists hostage. The scribes were freed only after Akhilesh Yadav intervened.

In Balia, SP workers allegedly thrashed some women and children as the people from their village had voted for a rival party.

SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav had on Friday summoned the police chief and the chief secretary and expressed annoyance on the reports of violence. He also warned the SP workers against indulging in violence.