SP MLAs demand ‘full-time’ Home Minister: ‘Police are going out of control of govt’

“While UP is number one in loot and robbery, it leads even in crime against women. Officers do not have respect either for MLAs or for the legal system. Officers are undertaking fake encounters as they hope to get rewarded with medals, tickets or be made chairman of some public unit somewhere,” said Sonkar, adding that no action has been taken against “the goons who barged into KGMU”.

She cited instances of death of four children in Prayagraj Division belonging to Khatik community and alleged that the Yogi Adityanath-led government was shying away from responding to the deaths of Dalit children.

Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna refuted Sonkar’s charge and said that Dalit children died of drowning, and the government has taken steps to assist the family.

Meanwhile, BJP and SP legislators came face-to-face as both refused to accept each other’s data on crimes in the state. While SP MLAs claimed that crimes against Dalits, women were increasing in the state, Parliamentary Affairs Minister cited data indicating the crime rates had decreased in the state, which was objected by the SP legislators.

Speaker Satish Mahana, later, rejected the SP MLAs’ demand for a debate on the law and order issue in the state.

Later, demanding a discussion on law and order, SP MLA Atul Pradhan raised the issue of alleged misbehaviour towards Shankracharya in Prayagraj and also the demolition of a shop of one Moin Ahmed in Ayodhya.

“The government had alleged that Moin Ahmed belonged to the Samajwadi Party because he was a Muslim. He was put in jail for 19 months. His bakery was demolished in Ayodhya, and later the case against him did not stand in court. Will the government now apologise to him?” asked Atul Pradhan.

He said that the Samajwadi Party does not want to stop the government from taking action against criminals, but said that the action should not merely be based on caste and religion.

State Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi on Thursday accused the Opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) of working against farmers and instead working for the interest of industrialists when the party was in power in the state.

Replying to a question by SP MLA Anil Pradhan on “chakbandi” or agricultural land consolidation, Shahi said that his government was acquiring land from farmers “only after providing them proper compensation on market rate”.

Shahi alleged that the SP, when it was in power in the state four times, did not take such initiatives. He alleged that during its tenure, firing at the farmers was ordered in Noida and Ghaziabad “for Anil Ambani”.

“The farmers of Uttar Pradesh can never forget how your government ordered firing for the sake of Anil Ambani,” he said.

He also referred to an alleged firing incident linked to a Durg Cement project, saying it occurred during the SP regime. “Such incidents have never happened under the Yogi Adityanath-led government,” Shahi asserted.