Kasganj MLAs Enjoyed Kailash Kher Concert a Day After Their Constituencies Were Singeing

Lucknow: Strife-torn Kasganj has been gripped with tension ever since clashes broke out between two groups on January 26, but the two MLAs of the town were busy enjoying a musical concert in Etah district on Sunday evening.

A video of singer Kailash Kher’s concert shows Devendra Singh, the BJP MLA from Sadar, and Devendra Pratap, the BJP MLA from Amanpur, enjoying the performance from the front row.

On the same day, curfew was lifted from the western UP town as it limped to normalcy. Many people, however, have not dared step out of their homes till now. Five buses and three shops were torched and a farmhouse owned by a local resident had been vandalised a day earlier on Saturday, as violence that had erupted over 'Tiranga Yatra' on Friday boiled over to the next day.

Till now, more than 110 people have been arrested while Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel have intensified vigil in the district. The curfew
Explosives were found during a house-to-house searches. The state police chief said that the stringent National Security Act (NSA) would be invoked against the culprits.

The state government, meanwhile, emphasised that none of the mischief mongers would be spared. Deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma said that neither the criminals nor conspirators would get away even as opposition parties like the BSP and SP were vociferously critical.

BSP chief Mayawati claimed that the entire country, especially in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, development and public welfare activities had taken a back seat while lawlessness prevailed.

“In UP, there no rule of the Constitution, but a jungle raj-like atmosphere. The latest example is that of Kasganj district, where on January 26 there were riots. The tension is still prevalent, and the state government seems to be failing here,” Mayawati said.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Sunil Singh Sajan also said, “The government is staging riots in Kasganj. We do not want the resignation of the chief minister. We simply want peace and normalcy to return to the trouble-torn place.”

He further alleged that for the past three days volunteers of RSS, Vishva Hindu Parishad and ABVP were threatening people. “The government is quiet. The police are helpless,” he claimed.