Kasganj a blot on U.P., says Governor

Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik on Monday spoke out strongly against the violence in Kasganj, calling it “a smear” on the State and “a matter of shame for all of us.”

“Who started it and who retaliated later... all that will come out in the open after an inquiry,” he said at the ‘Beating the Retreat’ at police lines here.

Meanwhile, three days after the violence, the Yogi Adityanath government has transferred the district police chief of Kasganj Sunil Kumar Singh to the police training school in Meerut. The Home Department said Piyush Srivastava, SP of the police training school, will be the new police chief.

Police have so far lodged five FIRs on the incident on Republic Day. One person, Chandan Gupta, 20, died of bullet injuries and several others were injured in a clash that broke out during an unauthorised bike rally by youths.

A total of 112 persons have been arrested so far. Of them, 31 are named in the FIRs, while 81 have been arrested as a preventive measure, a police spokesperson said.

BJP criticised

The BJP government has been heavily criticised for the incident, with the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party blaming it directly. Responding to the Opposition’s charges, U.P. government spokesperson and Cabinet Minister Sidharth Nath Singh said if the SP and BSP pointed a finger at the BJP, two would point right back at them.

“One should not spit at the sky; Akhilesh ji should keep in mind that the spit will fall back on him,” Mr. Singh said in Varanasi.

He said the Opposition, especially the SP, had promoted only one ideology when it was in power.

“The introduction of appeasement... we all know about it. Jobs and posts were created for one specific caste and no FIRs could be lodged against a specific religious community,” he said.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had criticised the BJP government for failing to ensure peace during the January 26 function.

“If there is anyone responsible for the incident, it is the government. I feel the government wants to create fear and reap benefit out of it,” Mr. Yadav said.

While things are returning to normal in Kasganj, U.P. Director General of Police O. P Singh has issued a circular to all district police chiefs asking them to take preventive measures to maintain law and order and communal harmony.