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Dadri Lynching: PMO Briefed, UP Police To Lodge Case Against Political Leaders

Dadri Lynching: PMO Briefed, UP Police To Lodge Case Against Political Leaders
DADRI,INDIA SEPTEMBER 30: Relatives and family members of Mohammad Akhlaq mourn after he was killed by a mob on Monday night, at his residence in Dadri town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.(Photo by K.Asif/India Today Group/Getty Images)
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DADRI,INDIA SEPTEMBER 30: Relatives and family members of Mohammad Akhlaq mourn after he was killed by a mob on Monday night, at his residence in Dadri town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.(Photo by K.Asif/India Today Group/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- Ten days after an angry Hindu mob allegedly beat a 52-year-old Muslim man to death in Uttar Pradesh's Bisada village, the Prime Minister's office was reportedly briefed about the situation. PM Modi has maintained a stony silence on the issue even as prominent leaders of his party have run amok, blaming the victims and even calling it "an accident".

Prohibitory orders are in place in the village following the murder of the 52-year-old ironsmith, allegedly because his family had slaughtered a cow and consumed beef.

Last night, the victim family moved to Delhi, even as the administration and police conducted a peace march and held peace committee meetings in Bisada today in an effort to maintain communal harmony.

With leaders of various outfits still thronging Bishada, the administration stepped up measures to keep visitors at bay, restricting entry only to residents. Appealing to visitors not to disturb the communal harmony by their speeches, District Magistrate N P Singh said nobody will be allowed to disturb peace in the village.

It also finally appeared that some of the political leaders — including culture minister and MP from nearby Gautam Buddha Nagar Mahesh Sharma — might be finally brought to book for the atrocious statements made by them. Comments made by political leaders have stoked the simmering communal sentiment in a village that has no history of such communal violence. Two of the main accused arrested in the case include a local BJP leader's son.

Even as Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited the village after the incident, the state's chief minister flew the victims' family to Lucknow, citing superstition.

Members of Khudai Khidmatgar protest against the killing of Mohammed Akhlaq, resident of Dadri, in front of Rajghat, on October 3, 2015 in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Vishva Hindu Parishad Leader Sadhvi Prachi was denied entry to the village today afternoon, which she immediately termed a "conspiracy".

"I wanted to meet families of Jay Prakash and Rahul Yadav but I was denied entry," Prachi told PTI. "I had requested the SDM in this respect. Owaisi, who comes from Hyderabad can meet, why I am not allowed entry? This is a conspiracy."

Jay Prakash, 24, was found dead under mysterious circumstances, while Yadav suffered an alleged bullet injury during protests against the administration.

Political leaders have quickly made the Bisada killing a political issue. While Prachi also targeted Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan over his letter to the United Nations seeking its intervention to look into the "miseries" of minorities in India, alleging Khan had "tarnished" India's image, Shiv Sena too had asked for Khan's sacking earlier.

Earlier, police also denied entry to members of 'Hindu Yuva Vahini', a youth group founded by BJP MP Yogi Adityanath.

Interestingly, the UP government's report to the Centre makes no mention of cow or beef consumption, instead terming the cause of violence to over the killing of "a prohibited animal".

Meanwhile the residents of Bisada claim they are being "unfairly victimised", reported PTI.

"Vilifying the entire village for one incident is wrong," said villager Yashpal Singh to PTI while he was at local BJP leader Sanjay Rana's home. "Kuch toh galat hua hoga na jis liye ye hadsa hua (something wrong must have taken place for which the lynching took place)."

Rana's son if one of the prime accused in the case, and the sentiment against him is apparent.

"You (Sanjeev) are colluding with the netas. You are equally threatening us and not considering our side," PTI quoted a woman saying.

(with PTI inputs)

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.