Samajwadi Party youth workers undertook a “purification” exercise of the places visited by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Sambhal district by sprinkling ‘ Gangajal ’. A video of the purification exercise has gone viral on Wednesday.
A case was lodged against Samajwadi Party Yuvjan Sabha State president Bhavesh Yadav and 8-10 others, Superintendent of Police Chakresh Misra said on Thursday. Mr. Yadav has been arrested, he added.
The Chief Minister had inaugurated and laid foundations of projects worth ₹275 crore and addressed a public meeting at Kaila Devi in Sambhal district on Tuesday.
A day later, Mr. Yadav and Samajwadi Party Yuvjan Sabha workers undertook the ‘ shuddhikaran ’ [purification] exercise of the venue of the Chief Minister’s public meeting and helipad by sprinkling waters from the Ganga river.
Talking to the media during the exercise, Mr. Yadav claimed that he conducted the purification drive as Mr. Adityanath has “insulted” Maa Kaila Devi by not visiting the temple when he was here.
A resident of Sambhal filed a complaint at the Bahjoi police station alleging that Mr. Yadav’s action has upset followers of Mr. Adityanth who is also a religious leader.
The case was registered under IPC Sections 153A (promoting disharmony, enmity or feelings of hatred), 295A (deliberate and malicious intention of outraging religious feelings) and 505 (intent to incite, or which is likely to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community).
Mr. Yadav was sent to 14-day judicial custody.
Samajwadi Party president and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has often alleged that when he vacated the Chief Minister’s official residence at 5, Kalidas Marg in Lucknow after his defeat in the 2017 Assembly elections, seers and priests had undertaken “purifying rituals” at the sprawling bungalow to make it ready for Yogi Adityanath.
Akhilesh Yadav had also said that he would get the fire brigade to spray ‘ Gangajal ’ on it after returning to power in 2022.
