Ahead of polls, Yogi Adityanath rakes up Kairana exodus in UP assembly

MUZAFFARNAGAR: Barely months away from the 2019 polls, UP CM Yogi Adityanath raked up the Kairana exodus issue during his speech in the assembly on Monday. Later in the evening, he also tweeted, "Today no one dares scare away anyone from Kairana and Kandhla. The government has decided to install a PAC company between Kairana and Kandhla."

The CM's remarks came almost two years after the then BJP MP Hukum Singh had alleged that fear of Muslim criminals was driving Hindus out his constituency - Kairana. Singh's allegation, made in the run up to UP assembly elections held between February and March, 2017, became a major poll issue. However, in May 2018 bypolls necessitated by the death of Hukum Singh, UP got its first Muslim MP in Tabassum Hasan who beat, ironically, Mriganka Singh - the daughter of the man who raised the exodus issue.

Giving details of the PAC camp in Kairana, Shamli superintendent of police Ajay Kumar said, "To build the PAC camp, 75-acre land has been identified. A firing range will also be built in the area." The SP added that a thousand PAC personnel will be deployed in the region to help maintain law and order whenever required.