Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India (August 03, 2014): The Uttar Pradesh government and the office of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, in their attempt to control political damage, are offering clarifications that Akhilesh Yadav had not proximity with prime accused of Saharanpur communal violence against the Sikhs.
A photograph of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav with main accused of the recent Saharanpur violence, Muharram Ali Pappu, went viral on whatsapp and other social media networks. The photograph has triggered a huge controversy.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister office issued a clarification on Saturday (August 03), saying: “Some people with malaise and an intention to mislead people and tarnish the image of the UP government were circulating the picture.”
The photo was rumoured to have been shot on April 1 at Akhilsh Yadav’s official residence at 5, Kalidas Marg and was extracted from the social networking site of a Samajwadi Party leader. The picture has Akhilesh Yadav surrounded by seven persons with Muharram Ali Pappu standing on the fourth from Akhilesh Yadav on the left of the picture.
The press release from the chief minister’s office, said: “The news related to the photo of the CM with an accused in the Saharanpur incident, along with other persons, is baseless and misleading”.
The release maintains that the UP chief minister meets a number of people in a day and that making a baseless comment on the basis of a photo is not indicative of healthy democratic traditions, the release adds.
The statement also says the accused has already been arrested and legal proceedings are on against him.
All those who were involved in disturbing the peace in Saharanpur will not be spared and the toughest of action has already been assured, the release says, while reasserting that [u]nder such circumstances, the news about the photo on certain television channels is misleading and baseless, the release concludes.
It is notable that Muharram Ali Pappu had instigated violence against the Sikhs in Saharanpur on 26 July 2014. A muslim mob led by Muharram Ali Pappu and his accomplices had attacked a Sikh Gurdwara Sahibs. The mob had torched various vehicals and reduced Sikh properties and commercial establishments to rubble.
According to a prominent Punjabi vernacular, Ajit Daily, Sikhs in Saharanpur faced November 1984 like situation after 26 July violence.