The police in western Uttar Pradesh has launched a crackdown on BSP leaders for their alleged involvement in orchestrating violence during the Bharat Bandh on April 2.
Days after it arrested former BSP MLA from Hastinapur in Meerut, Yogesh Verma, the police have now arrested two more senior functionaries of the BSP. Among the latest to be arrested include the Muzaffarnagar district BSP president Kamal Gautam and Manish, son of Dharmpal Singh, former BSP MLA from Hapur, from Delhi on Thursday on charges inciting and indulging in violence.
‘False cases’
While the BSP leadership alleged that the BJP government was framing them on false cases, police officers said they have sufficient evidence to book the BSP leaders.
The Senior Superintendent of Police, Muzaffarnagar, Anant Dev Tiwari, told The Hindu that Mr. Gautam was arrested after initial police probe allegedly highlighted his involvement in inciting the protesters.
‘BSP leaders had a role’
“The initial probe showed call records, video and pictures substantiated that the BSP leaders had a role to play in inciting the protesters. The police are further probing the extent of their involvement in inciting violence,” Mr. Tiwari said.
As part of its crackdown on people who indulged and incited violence during Bharat Bandh, the UP Police are also probing the role of Mayor of Meerut city, Sunita Verma
The ADG Meerut Zone, Prashant Kumar, told the media on Friday that the police was probing the role of Mayor Sunita Verma along with her husband Yogesh Verma who is in jail for the violence which took place during Bharat Band in Meerut.
Interestingly, many senior leaders of the Samajwadi Party, the new ally of the BSP in the State, came out to defend the BSP leaders in Meerut. The Meerut city SP president Rajpal Singh told The Hindu that the ruling BJP was trying to “harass and play vindictive politics after BSP defeated the BJP in the local body elections in the city.”
Sunita Verma, BSP leader and also the Meerut Mayor, told The Hindu that she and her husband were being “framed in false cases”.
