Uttar Pradesh Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna dismissed the charges of the opposition of government involvement in the Fatehpur incident and asserted that law and order is the top priority and those taking the law into their hands will face strict action.
Responding to queries from the opposition regarding the recent incident in Fatehpur in the state assembly on Tuesday, the minister refuted all the charges of the opposition, particularly Samajwadi Party members in the Uttar Pradesh assembly.
The SP members created a ruckus in the assembly over the Fatehpur issue and forced the adjournment of the house for the day.
Answering a question by Leader of the Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey in the Assembly, Minister Suresh Khanna denied any role of the government or its machinery in the Fatehpur incident.
He said an FIR was lodged on August 11 at Kotwali police station against 10 named and 150 unidentified accused under serious IPC sections, the Criminal Law Amendment Act, and the Public Property Damage Prevention Act.
The sections include 190, 191(2), 191(3), 301, 196 and also under the Criminal Law Amendment Act-7 and Sections 2 and 3 of the Public Property Damage Prevention Act. Khanna stressed that the government is treating the matter with utmost seriousness and no accused will be spared.
Khanna said the FIR proves the government is doing its job and that anyone taking the law into their own hands will be punished through due process. Maintaining law and order is the government’s top priority, and no anarchy will be tolerated. He accused the Opposition of giving a political colour to the incident, noting that police acted promptly and initiated legal proceedings without delay.
Meanwhile, in view of the seriousness of the Fatehpur incident, the UP government has clarified that Hindu leaders pressuring the police have no influence over its actions.
Committed to maintaining peace and law and order, the state has deployed forces from 10 police stations, two PAC companies, and the full administrative team to the area. An FIR has been lodged against 160 people, including 10 named accused, and dialogue is underway with both sides. The government has stated that once calm is restored, strict action will follow.
On Monday, tension mounted in Fatehpur after Hindu organisations, including the Bajrang Dal, tried to offer prayers inside an old tomb in the Abu Nagar locality under the Kotwali Nagar police station, claiming a temple previously existed at the site.