Continuing his tirade against the Uttar Pradesh government over the violence in Sambhal, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, on Wednesday, alleged that the district administration engineered the incident at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday the SP chief alleged that instead of ensuring justice for the common people, innocent citizens are being framed on false charges and sent to jail after the violence in Sambhal.

Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the police action was a direct violation of constitutional principles and accused the administration of acting in a dictatorial manner.

The SP chief also slammed the Centre for not following due process during the mosque survey and suggested that communal tensions across the country could be aggravated by such actions. The talk of digging up religious sites will hurt the unity and brotherhood of the country, he said.

Lashing out at the UP government over the opposition party leaders being prevented from visiting Sambhal, Akhilesh Yadav asked, “Why the leaders from the opposition parties not being allowed to visit Sambhal? Is it because the government wants to hide its failure from being exposed? Look at the arrogant language of the officers of the district administration of Sambhal. Can the officers be allowed to speak in such arrogant language in a democratic political order?”

“The government has imposed a ban on the entry of the leaders of the opposition parties (in Sambhal) till December 10. This shows that the government wants to destroy the evidences and create pressure on the local people to fall in line and remain tight lipped over the incident, in which four innocent lives were lost,” the SP chief said.

The Samajwadi Party reiterated his charge that the violence in Sambhal was part of a “well-planned” conspiracy orchestrated by the BJP.

Sambhal has been under scrutiny since November 19, when a survey was conducted at the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid on court orders, following claims that a Harihar temple once stood on the site. The situation escalated on November 24, during a second survey, when clashes erupted between protesters and security personnel, leading to four fatalities and several injuries.