The Uttar Pradesh police on Sunday arrested 19 persons in connection with the violence and the death of a constable in stone-throwing by protesters in Ghazipur district on Saturday.
The police accused members of the Nishad Party, an ally of the Samajwadi Party in the State, for the violence and also booked one of its general secretaries. Thirty-two persons have been named in the FIR, while 70-80 others are unknown accused, said ADG (Varanasi zone) P.V. Rama Sastry.
The officer confirmed that the FIR named a Nishad Party general secretary as the “main accused” for giving the call for the protest and said the police had sufficient evidence against him. The FIR invokes charges such as rioting and murder.
Mr. Sastry said he would write to the District Magistrate of Ghazipur to invoke the National Security Act against the main accused, who is believed to be Arjun Kashyap. The police did not confirm the name.
Uttar Pradesh DGP O.P. Singh said 19 accused had been arrested in three cases, including 11 in the murder case. Describing the death of constable Suresh Pratap Singh Vats as “extremely tragic,” he said action would be taken against those involved. The constable was returning from duty at the PM’s rally when the incident took place.
The stone-throwing took place during clashes that broke out when members of the Nishad Party were staging protests and road blockade demanding Scheduled Caste status for the Nishad caste. Mr. Vats succumbed to a head injury.
Yesh Veer Singh, SP Ghazipur, said the constable was hit when the protesters started pelting the police with stones as they were “trying to clear a roadblock.”
Sanjay Nishad, president of the Nishad Party, demanded a detailed police investigation into the incident and said the BJP was trying to defame his party with false allegations.
Praveen Nishad, MP of Gorakhpur, and leader of the Nishad Party told The Hindu that his party had no role in the violence. He claimed that activists of the party were staging a peaceful dharna when members of the BJP who were returning from the PM’s rally in vehicles started chasing and attacking them.
“Local villagers came to the support of our workers and this led to an altercation. The incident involving the constable (stone-throwing) was the work of BJP workers,” said Mr. Nishad.
Jungle raj, says Cong.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters in New Delhi that ‘jungle raj’ prevailed in U.P.
“When police, who are responsible for protecting and defending law and order, are under such severe attack, what will happen to common people,” he asked.
