Blame game over Uttar Pradesh clashes

New Delhi/Lucknow: An uneasy calm prevailed in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur area on Sunday, a day after violent communal clashes left three people dead and at least 20 others seriously injured. Altogether 45 persons have been detained.

A political blame game has already started, as Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi blaming the local authorities for “administrative lapses,” said if it was a fact that there was a court judgment and police help was sought by one side, it was the responsibility of officials to find a solution by making both sides understand that the court order must be implemented.

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said, “The UP government has completely failed to run the administration in the state. On Sunday the UP police used drone cameras to monitor the situation in violence-affected areas. Curfew continued in the city areas and officials said it would be lifted only in phases from Monday if no fresh incident took place.

In New Delhi, Union home minister Rajnath Singh briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the violence in Uttar Pradesh and on the steps being taken by the Union government to control the law and order situation in the state.

Comments from political leaders

Union minister Kalraj Mishra: The manner in which members of a particular community attacked those, who were protesting against forced grabbing of land, is indicative of a serious conspiracy.

Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan: It is in Nagpur where research work to jeopardise the commendable existence and pro-people policies of the SP rule in UP is being done.