CM Yogi Adityanath pledges to crack down on Kasganj culprits

Lucknow/New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday broke his silence on the Kasganj communal violence and promised action against culprits even as some BJP leaders, including Union ministers, saw a hand of “pro-Pakistan elements” in the “pre-planned” five-day-old flare-up which claimed one life on January 26. Governor Ram Naik had on Monday termed the Kasganj violence a “blot” on the state.

The western Uttar Pradesh town remained tense due to a protest and an attack on a place of worship. In a related development, Hindu outfits staged a demonstration in Agra district collectorate in protest against the Kasganj violence. A large number of RAF and PAC personnel were deployed to keep a check on rumour mongers and trouble makers.

While UP chief minister stressed that “anarchy has no place in the state,” two Union ministers — Giriraj Singh and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti — made controversial remarks over the incident.

Meanwhile, the Union home ministry has sought a report from the UP government on the incident that took place on the Republic Day.

“Our government is committed to provide security to each and every citizen. Anarchy has no place in the state,” Mr Adityanath told reporters in Lucknow. He warned of “strict action” against the perpetrators of violence.

Courting controversy, Giriraj Singh, minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises in the Narendra Modi government, claimed that media would have chosen a “different” line if the killed person would have been from the minority community.

He said that he felt that the violence was “pre-planned”.

Minister of state for food processing industries, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti blamed “pro-Pakistan” and “anti-national” elements for the trouble which started over a rally on Republic Day.

Another BJP hardliner and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar waded in the row saying there were some “miscreants who support Pakistan” who could go to any extent to defy the tricolour.

“Earlier, there were no communal clashes in Kasganj district as all lived in harmony. But it has come to light that there are some miscreants who support Pakistan and will go to any extent to defy the tricolour. They need to be dealt with strictly,” he said.

Mr Singh also referred to Bareilly district magistrate Raghvendra Vikram Singh’s comments on  Facebook that appeared to blame right-wing groups for provoking communal clashes.