The high-level probe committee of the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP), led by State PWD Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav, has blamed the district administration as well as the local BJP MP for the Saharanpur riots in which three people were killed last month. The BJP has slammed the report, which was submitted to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday.
Though the detail of the five-member team is not known officially, sources said the team has held the district administration responsible for the riots. Besides, the team has also blamed local BJP MP Ragha lakhan Pal for instigating the violence.
The report has also recommended action against the district civil and police officials for their lapses.
Surprisingly, the Saharanpur district authorities blamed Congress leader Imran Solanki and local SP leader Muharrum Ali, alias Pappu for the riots. The police had even arrested Pappu on July 30 claiming him to be the brain behind the riots.
While the district administration did not name the BJP MP, SP national general secretary Naresh Agarwal said that the party’s probe team has found MP’s involvement in the riots.
“The report is with Akhilesh Yadav and he will take a call,” he told The Pioneer on telephone. The probe that does not have a legal sanctity has created a political furore. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh refused to react to the findings of the probe team saying “It is report of a political party”.
Questioning the report, BJP spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak said it was a ‘political’ probe report that came up with ‘biased’ observation. “The report was made just to safeguard the lapses of the UP Government and to take political mileage by blaming the BJP for the riots,” he said.
Pathak said how can the BJP MP be blamed when he tried to control the violence and even Saharanpur district has administration appreciated his efforts. “The Shivpal Yadav report is politically motivated to cover up the failures of the UP Government,” the BJP leader said.
BSP national president Mayawati has blamed both SP and BJP for the riots. “These riots are orchestrated to get political mileage. The probe report is nothing but an eye wash,” she said. Sources said the report as prima facie held Saharanpur district administration and local police responsible for failure to act in time.
It has also tried to fix some responsibility in terms of inciting passions to a certain extent on local politicians including BJP MP Raghav lakhan Pal.
The UP Government has already transferred the District Magistrate Sandhya Tiwari and the City Magistrate of Saharanpur recently but the SSP Rajesh Pandey is yet to be shunted out.
The committee headed by PWD Minister Shivpal Yadav visited Saharanpur and went through all the aspects, visiting the spot of the dispute and meeting the people of both sections. The other members of the committee are- Technical Education Minister Shivakant Ojha, Minister of State for Rural Development Arvind Singh Gope, state minister Ashu Malik and SP’s District President, Moradabad, Haji Ikram Qureshi.
Clashes between two minority communities over a land dispute in Saharanpur had left three persons dead and 34 injured. At least 165 shops and handcarts and 42 vehicles were set ablaze in the violence.
More than 110 people including some SP and Congress leaders were booked for the violence while a former Councillor was arrested under NSA.