The police on Monday used water cannons to disperse Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha (women’s wing) activists who staged a massive demonstration in front of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s office against the gang rape and murder of two minors at a village in Badaun district.In a memorandum submitted to the Principal Secretary (Home) Anil Kumar Gupta, the morchademanded Mr. Yadav’s resignation as he had failed to curb such crimes. In a separate memorandum to Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan, the BJP demanded that show cause be served on Mr. Gupta and the Director General of Police, asking them to explain why they had failed to visit the village where the crime took place.
The absence of government control over law and order and patronage given to criminals and goons by the ruling establishment has led to a spurt in crimes against women, the BJP alleged. The alleged rape of two minors in Sitapur district, and the alleged rape of a woman in Lamhua were also mentioned in the memorandum.
Earlier in the day, the morcha’s demonstration, led by the State unit president Laxmikant Bajpai, started from the party office with the protesters intent on gheraoing the Chief Minister’s office. They were however met by heavy police deployment near the Bapu Bhawan. As the activists and the police jostled with each other, the police sprayed water through the cannon injuring some activists in the melee. They, however, succeeded in breaking the police cordon and staged a dharna at the Annexe Bhawan.
The dharna was called off after the morcha’s office-bearers were allowed to met Mr. Gupta and hand over a memorandum.
Senior Cabinet Minister and Samajwadi Party spokesman, Shivpal Singh Yadav, has blamed the Opposition parties for playing politics over the Budaun issue. Mr. Yadav told reporters that prompt action had been taken against the accused.
