A two-member delegation of Bahujan Samaj Party called on Governor Anandiben Patel on Monday and demanded a judicial probe into the violence during anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests, compensation to families of those killed in the protests and release of innocent from the jails.
The BSP delegation comprising party general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra and Munkad Ali, reached Raj Bhawan in the morning and had a 30-minute meeting with the Governor.
Later, speaking to media persons outside Raj Bhawan, Mishra said that they submitted a memorandum to the Governor and put forward their demands
The BSP memorandum also demanded that along with the release of innocents jailed for the violence during anti-CAA protests, the government should also order withdrawal of cases against them.
“Those who were behind the violence must be punished but why should innocents be put behind bars,” Mishra said.
The BSP leader suggested that the families of those killed in the anti-CAA protests be given ex gratia payment of Rs 25-50 lakh as compensation. He said the Governor assured them to take up the matter with the UP government.
On the occasion, Mishra also condemned the violence in JNU on Sunday and demanded stern action against the guilty.
“The BSP never supports any type of violence and the police should identify the people behind the JNU violence,” he said.
Earlier on Sunday, BSP chief Mayawati had accused Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his government of putting anti-CAA protesters behind the bars without thorough investigation and demanded financial assistance to those killed in protests.
“In UP, especially in Bijnor, Sambhal, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Firozabad and other districts, innocents have been sent to jail for protesting against the CAA/NRC without a probe. The issue was also raised by the media and is condemnable,” the BSP chief said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, both Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress demanded a judicial probe into the JNU violence, a day after masked assailants attacked students and professors on the university campus in Delhi.
‘’The attack on students and teachers of JNU is deplorable. The Centre should take the matter seriously and order a judicial probe into the incident,” BSP chief Mayawati posted on twitter.
Staging a protest against the JNU incident at the GPO Park, Congress city chief Mukesh Chauhan condemned the BJP government for failing to maintain peace in educational institutions.
He charged that the BJP governments, both at the Centre and in UP, were using violence and hatred to polarise society and stifle dissent.
He claimed that various wings of BJP, including Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP), were acting like storm troopers of the BJP.