In a setback for the Akhilesh Government, the Allahabad High Court on Monday ordered the release of hundreds of VHP leaders and sants who were arrested to prevent them from undertaking the 84-kosi parikarama.
The clampdown by the SP Government on the yatra reverberated in Parliament and saw bitter exchanges between leaders of the Samajwadi Party and the BJP.
VHP chief patron Ashok Singhal was released from Nawabganj bird sanctuary on Monday. Out of 2,454 sants taken into custody on Sunday, the State Government released 958 of them immediately after the HC order. But others along with prominent VHP leaders, Praveen Bhai Togadia, Ramvilas Vedanti, and former BJP MlA lalu Singh were shifted from Faizabad to Etah. They were released late on Monday.
The release order came soon after the lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court ordered to release all the detained persons in the State. A Bench comprising Justice Imitiyaz Murtaza and Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya directed that the leaders, who were arrested on Sunday under Section 151 of the IPC for violating Section 144 of the IPC during the VHP’s 84-kosi parikrama, should be released immediately as they cannot be kept in detention for more than 24 hours.
“We are releasing those who are no threat to law & order,” claimed ADG (law & order) RK Vishwakarma. He added that the VHP activists failed to make any impact even on Monday. 184 VHP activists were arrested during the demonstration held at different places, including Etah, Kasgaj, lucknow, Kanpur, Bulandshahr on Monday.
In the lok Sabha, SP chief Mulayam Singh alleged that the BJP was resorting to hooliganism and its cadres had attacked the party’s office in Delhi following crackdown by the UP Government on the VHP’s yatra.
BJP MP Yogi Adityanath pointed out that the lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has already declared the disputed place as the birthplace of lord Ram and the sants have been demanding a law for the purpose.
In his fiery style, Aditynath attacked Mulayam’s dynasty politics. “You are talking about samajwad. But you are adopting parivarvad. In lok Sabha, you brought your daughter-in-law, in other House, you brought your brother and your son is Chief Minister,” said the BJP MP.
Adityanath accused the SP Government of “humiliating the sants and insulting the Hindus” and demanded the UP Government should be immediately dismissed. He claimed that the UP had seen 30 riots under the SP rule, and the Hindus suffered the most.
However, JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav questioned as to who had given the VHP the monopoly to represent Hindus. This led to immediate protests by BJP members, who shouted down Yadav.
BJP and SP had heated exchange in the Rajya Sabha too over VHP’s 84-Kosi parikrama. BJP leader Vinay Katiyar said that Ayodhya had been converted into a cantonment and security personnel are entering temples with their shoes on thereby violating their sanctity.
BSP leader Mayawati charged both BJP and SP of colluding with each other to garner political mileage by creating communal polarisation before the lok Sabha polls.