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BJP demands CBI inquiry into murder of engineer in U.P.

LUCKNOW: The Bharatiya Janata Party organised a demonstration here on Monday against the Mayawati Government and demanded a CBI inquiry into the murder of the PWD engineer in Auraiya last month.

The “Pradesh bachao, jail bharo” agitation of the BJP, which was launched on New Year’s Day, entered its third phase on Monday with several senior leaders of the party courting arrest in different parts of Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP has also been agitating in protest against alleged extortion by Bahujan Samaj Party functionaries to raise funds for Chief Minister Mayawati’s birthday on January 15.

The demonstration in Kanpur on Monday was led by the president of the U.P. unit of the party, Ramapati Ram Tripathi, who was among hundreds of saffron party workers arrested by the police.

The BJP workers were lathi-charged by the police in Kanpur, causing injuries to some.

In Lucknow, the BJP staged a massive demonstration near the District Collectorate and submitted a memorandum to the district administration demanding a CBI inquiry and dismissal of the Mayawati Government.

The party leader in charge of the BJP’s UP affairs, former Member of Parliament Kalraj Mishra, Leader of the BJP Legislature Party Om Prakash Singh, and former Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, Lalji Tandon, led the demonstrators here in the State capital.

According to the Lucknow district administration, nearly 24,000 BJP workers and leaders were arrested during the protest. The police used water cannons to disperse the demonstrators.

The spokesperson of the party’s State unit claimed that 30,000 party men courted arrest in Lucknow.

Former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain in Agra, and Manvendra Singh, Ravindra Shukla and Mahendra Singh in Jhansi were the other BJP leaders who courted arrest.

Member of Parliament Yogi Aditya Nath and former Ministers Surya Pratap Shahi and Surya Pratap Shukla led the protest in Gorakhpur.

The BJP spokesman claimed that over one lakh people courted arrest all over the State on Monday.

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BJP demands CBI inquiry into murder of engineer in U.P.

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