Mulayam talks to officials over UP violence

Akhilesh Yadav says incidents a conspiracy to tarnish SP image

As election-related violence escalated in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday directed officials to act against the trouble mongers even if they included his party workers.

State unit chief Akhilesh Yadav, however, claimed that the escalating violence appeared to be a conspiracy to tarnish the image of the SP though he also warned the party men against indulging in violence.

Reports of SP workers assaulting their political opponents have poured from different parts of the state, soon after the counting of votes for the Assembly elections, which saw the SP securing a comfortable majority on its own.

SP workers have been openly challenging the law and order machinery by thrashing their political rivals and others.

On Holi day, SP workers allegedly hacked to death the 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, who had broken into his house.

The family members of the deceased alleged that the assailants were SP workers.
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.

Two 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 the 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.

Akhilesh said that the officials, who are still loyal to the outgoing BSP regime, were stoking violence to tarnish the image of the SP, which would not be tolerated.
He said that the police had been asked to act tough with trouble mongers even if they included SP supporters.

Mulayam summoned the police chief and the chief secretary to express his annoyance over the reports of violence.

He also warned the SP workers against indulging in violence.