Mathura clashes: Hema Malini stopped from visiting site of violence

New Delhi/Lucknow: Bharatiya Janata Party’s Mathura MP Hema Malini on Saturday reached her constituency and met family members of slain superintendent of police Mukul Dwivedi.  

She also participated in the protest called by the local BJP unit against the Akhilesh government in UP. The MP met family members of Dwivedi and consoled them. She assured them of a probe into the death of police officials.

Later, she sought permission from the police to visit Jawahar Bagh but she was denied entry citing ongoing searches in the area. On Saturday, a bomb squad found and diffused two crude bombs found inside Jawahar Bagh.

“This is not a big issue and there was no ulterior motive to bar the MP from entering the area. Combing operations are underway and police teams and experts are examining the area. We are in the process of clearing the area at the earliest. It will be open for all in few days,” said a senior police official.

Law and order to be BJP’s poll plank in poll-bound UP
The BJP has already indicated that the deteriorating law and order situation under the Akhilesh Yadav government will be one of its main poll planks.

The party is set to intensify its campaign against the SP government on the law and order issue and will begin holding demonstrations at all district headquarters from Monday. The BJP will highlight how law and order has become a casualty under the Akhilesh government.

The Mathura incident has only boosted the BJP’s efforts in eastern UP where it has been trying to gain a foothold, especially after Mr Ajit Singh’s RLD lost much of its stronghold to it in the last general election.

BJP state unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, who had alleged that the attackers in the Mathura incident were “goons of PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav”, said his party will also submit a memorandum to the state government dema-nding a CBI inquiry into the incident.

A seven-member committee led by BJP MP Rajendra Agarwal will visit Mathura on Sunday for an inquiry about the clashes and the reasons behind it.