Saharanpur riot: 20 arrested, BJP accuses UP govt of promoting communal tension

SAHARANPUR/NEW DELHI: BJP has accused the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh of promoting communal tension to reap political benefits after three people were killed in clashes in Saharanpur. 20 people have been arrested in connection with the violence between two communities over a land dispute. Curfew and shoot-at-sight orders remained in force in the city on Sunday. District magistrate of Saharanpur, Sandhya Tiwari, indicated on Sunday that the situation in the area was returning towards normalcy and claimed that no new instances of violence have occurred since it all started yesterday. Both BJP and Congress targetted the UP govt for the riot. "The people in power in UP want communal tensions so that they indulge in vote bank politics," BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said reacting to clashes in Saharanpur. Shahnawaz Hussain further alleged that the Akhilesh Yadav government was weak on all fronts. "Akhilesh Yadav's Government is weak on every front; he has failed to run a good government. He should maintain law and order in the state," Shahnawaz said. The Congress also blamed the state government for the riot and demanded that the state be divided into smaller parts. "UP should be divided into parts, this is the right time for that," Congress leader Rashid Alvi said reacting to Saharanpur clashes. The party blamed the Saharanpur administration for failing to control the clashes. Rioting began on Saturday when a group of people gathered outside the gurdwara and started pelting stones. "It was around 6 am that the rioters first began the assault and started looting shops in the market," said Balbir Singh Dheer, the gurdwara pradhan. "It seemed well-planned." While one group claimed the disputed land belonged to the Wakf Board, the other insisted it had purchased it 15 years ago and has the papers to show for it. Soon the violence that went on unabated for the next four hours took the shape of a massive riot that engulfed the entire city. One group of armed rioters even tried to overrun the Qutub Sair police station, forcing the cops there to resort to lathi charge and firing. (With inputs from agencies)