The pro-reservation group among the job aspirants on Saturday attacked the house of the district president of the Samajwadi Party and later sat in protest outside the party office here. The group went on the offensive a day after the UPPSC announced withdrawal of the UPPCS (Mains)-2011 results,following intervention of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday. Yadav had intervened after a delegation of anti-reservation job aspirants met him in Lucknow against the UPPSCs reservation policy. DIG Allahabad (Range) Dr N Ravinder said the priority was to restore normalcy. Necessary legal action against the protesters will also be taken. Heavy force has been deployed to control the situation, he said. According to the police,a large group of pro-reservation aspirants reached the house of district party president Pandhari Yadav in Allahpur area. They damaged a police motorcycle and a couple of cars. They also pelted stones at the house. The matter was brought under control after additional force was brought in. Later,hundreds of the protesters gathered at the SPs party office in George Town area. The protesters raised slogans and carried placards against the party. Some of them threatened that it would prove damaging for the party in the forthcoming polls. They were also allegedly angry at the media alleging that it was biased in favour of the anti-reservation group. The situation has left the party leaders here virtually in a catch-22 situation. Talking to The Sunday Express,Pandhari said: This is unfortunate. Is this the way to protest? And who are they protesting against? We look at them as the supporters of our own party. And now they are targeting us. They should have approached the senior party leaders,or at least,even talked to us. But attacking individuals is not right. Asked whether the anger of the pro-reservation group was due to the fact that they felt deprived of the apparent benefits they were getting under the new reservation policy,Pandhari said: If they benefit,wont our own children benefit. But what is there to be so aggressive about? There are so many peaceful ways for protesting. He went on to add that it was not possible for him or other party leaders to talk to them at this stage. Prof Ranjana Bajpai,Department Head of Ancient History in Allahabad University,who has recently joined the SP,said: Whatever decision was taken on Friday was a party decision. The protesters should have understood this. The anti-reservation group had been protesting against the UPPSC policy decision of May 27 through which OBC candidates were being allowed to be invited at the interview stage under the general category,if they had scored equal to or higher marks than the lowest cut-off in the unreserved category. The matter is currently before the Allahabad High Court,which has reserved its order.
