Nishad Party leader Arjun Kashyap blamed Bharatiya Janata Party for the death of a constable in stone pelting in Ghazipur on December 29 last year, saying his party workers did not pelt stones at the policemen and it was the handiwork of some BJP leaders.
Kashyap, while admitting that his party supporters might have resorted to stone pelting, denied that they attacked the policemen.
“BJP, which is in power, is behind the incident. Its partymen are the main culprits,” he said.
The Nishad Party leader also accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of not fulfilling the demands of the Nishad community.
“Even Yogiji promised to fulfil the demands of Nishad community but nothing has been done. There is no one in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha to raise our demands. We will keep protesting till we get reservation for our community,” Kashyap said.
Constable Suresh Vats was returning from a public meeting addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ghazipur on December 29 when he was hit by a stone thrown by someone among a protesting mob.
According to Ghazipur police, Suresh Vats, 48, from Karimuddinpur police station was hit on the head by a stone when he went to end a traffic jam caused by the protests. He later succumbed to his injuries. Two other local residents were also injured in the stone pelting.
Ghazipur’s Superintendent of Police Yashveer Singh had said the protesters were workers of Rashtriya Nishad Party who were prevented by the administration and the police from going to the rally venue.
An FIR was registered against 32 named and 60 unnamed people. A few of them have been arrested in connection with the violence.