According to state Director General of Police Ahmad Javed, there was “unprovoked” firing by the encroachers who pelted stones and attacked the policemen with lathis as they arrived at the site to carry out the eviction as directed by the Allahabad High Court.
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Home Minister Rajnath Singh today spoke to Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav and reviewed the situation in Mathura.
Keshav Prasad Maurya, who heads the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, went much further, alleging that the cult enjoyed the patronage of the chief minister’s uncle, Shivpal Yadav, who is a minister.
He also said that associates of Ram Virksh Yadav, the chief of the violent encroachers in Jawahar Bagh, was among those killed in the clashes.
The encroachers at Jawahar Bagh, the scene of deadly violence here, had set up their own system of administration by establishing “courts and jail barracks” and meted out torture and punishment to inmates for violating their rules even as they refused to recognise the Constitution and the laws of the country.
“After two shelters were vacated, the protesters set afire gas cylinders and munition stored there which led to several explosions”, the DGP said. It also announced that that the kin of the deceased security men will be provided with pension.
BJP Secretary Shrikant Sharma, who rushed to Mathura on the directions of party President Amit Shah, faulted the Akhilesh Yadav government for letting the situation get out of control.
“The SP government does not have the guts to take action against thugs and goons as the party itself is full of criminals if you look closely. Policemen were sent to the spot with their hands tied and this is why two of them died”, he said.
Police and other officials said they came under fire from members of the sect who were armed with automatic weapons and also hurled crude explosive devices during the violence in the northern city of Mathura.
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Efforts are on to identify the other bodies, Singh said. The Home Minister expressed anguish over the loss of lives in the incidents of violence in Mathura. “Besides, now the Mathura violence has put the SP government in dock and it can be fully compared with the Gujarat incidents of 2002”, she said. They were protesting against the government, demanding the slashing of fuel prices, the scrapping of elections, and the renaming of the Indian currency after their group’s name. “Combing operations are underway and the area is being examined by police teams and experts”, an official said. “Why they are after me?”, she said.
