Assembly bypolls: Akhilesh accuses BJP of 'orchestrating' Bahraich violence to gain mileage

The Samajwadi Party chief alleged that state government 'intentionally' deployed an inadequate number of security personnel during the Dirga idol immersion procession.

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday accused the BJP of 'orchestrating' last week's communal violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district, in which one person was killed and several others injured, to ''gain mileage'' in the forthcoming assembly bypolls in the state.

''BJP intentionally engineered violence to shift attention of the people from the state government's failure........bypolls are near and the BJP does not have any answer to the pressing problems being faced by the people,'' Akhilesh said while speaking to reporters in Mainpuri.

He said that the state government 'intentionally' deployed an inadequate number of security personnel during the Dirga idol immersion procession. ''It is clear that BJP wanted to engineer riots,'' he added.

The SP leader also said that the BJP considered itself above the constitutional bodies. ''BJP thinks that it can use the constitutional bodies the way it likes,'' he said.

Akhilesh exuded confidence that his party would 'sweep' the forthcoming by-polls in nine assembly constituencies. 

A youth, identified as Ram Gopal Mishra, had been shot dead allegedly by members of a particular community, during the violence that broke out during a Durga idol immersion procession on Sunday night. Around a dozen people suffered injuries in the violence and were admitted to the hospital.

As many as 50 people were arrested in connection with the violence. Two police personnel, including the station in-charge of Hardi police station, were suspended on charges of laxity.

Members of the majority community had taken to the streets after the killing and torched vehicles, houses and shops in Bahraich prompting the police to use force and  suspend internet services. 

Two accused persons in the violence were shot at and wounded in an 'encounter' with the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police near Nanpara in Bahraich on Thursday. Three other accused were also arrested by the STf.