Lucknow: BJP MLA from Mahsi, Sureshwar Singh, on Tuesday refuted allegations by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav that "BJP functionaries incited violence in Bahraich" and said that it was an attempt to politicize a tragic incident.
Singh said there was no "political motive" behind the FIR that he had lodged on Oct 18 in connection with the attack on his car in Maharajganj when he visited the area after Ram Gopal Mishra was shot dead during violence.A controversy erupted after one of the named accused was claimed to be of BJP's frontal organization.
"Lodging an FIR does not make anyone guilty of a crime, and the police will verify CCTV footage from shops and buildings at the scene to identify those who attacked my vehicle. So far as BJP's involvement is concerned, only the local president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha has been mentioned in the FIR. Most of the agitators were intoxicated and are said to be the relatives of the deceased," Singh said.
Rejecting allegations by SP president Akhilesh Yadav, who claimed that BJP workers incited violence, Singh said: "This is an attempt to politicize a tragic death. Our priority at that time was to prevent further escalation of tension and safely move Mishra's to the mortuary."
Narrating the sequence of events, he said, "The victim's family members and residents were staging a protest by placing the body on the road. Many of them were in an inebriated state and had to be pushed back. We managed to carry the body to the mortuary."
He said that the mob vandalized property, broke the mortuary's door, and even damaged an ambulance. "Stones were thrown, and the mortuary's walls were damaged," he added.
The MLA claimed that members of opposition parties were also involved in the violence. "Some people demanded a police encounter of the accused, which is unconstitutional and illegal. Attempts were being made to disrupt peace and fuel unrest," he added.
"There were two individuals who played a key role in violence and killing of Ram Gopal. Local intelligence should have been more vigilant," he said.
"People have been taking out such processions for the last 40 years. This time, objections were raised on certain songs. There was a specific song due to which tension escalated," he added