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Mulayam says no to judicial probe into Mau riots

Chief Minister gives clean chit to Mau MLA Mukhtar Ansari

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday rejected the Opposition demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation or judicial probe into the recent Mau communal riots.

Protesting the decision, the entire Opposition, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress, staged a noisy walkout from the Assembly after a four-hour discussion.

Mr. Yadav said a three-member enquiry committee headed by the chairperson, Revenue Board, and former Chief Secretary, Neera Yadav, would be asked to give its report at the earliest. "If the members were not satisfied with the report the government would consider a judicial probe."

A sum of Rs. 5 crores would be spent for reconstruction work in Mau town.

Denying allegations that the government stood a mute spectator during the riots, he said it was its harsh measures that resulted in the "instant controlling" of violence.

The Chief Minister gave a clean chit to Mukhtar Ansari (Independent MLA from Mau) and said the Hindu Vahini instigated communal violence.

"The government would be forced to take strict action against the Vahini, an outfit of the BJP MP from Gorakhpur Yogi Adityanath, if it did not give up its evil design to divide society.''

Noisy scenes

The House witnessed noisy scenes when Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey did not allow the lone Hindu Mahasabha member Radha Mohan Das Agrawal to participate in the discussion. Later, he was allowed to speak at the intervention of the Chief Minister.

Initiating the discussion, Leader of the Opposition Lalji Tandon (BJP) charged the ruling Samajwadi Party with having been behind the Mau riots.

Demanding a judicial probe, Mr. Tandon said the enquiry by the Revenue Board chairperson was a bid to hush up the probe.

Mr. Ansari alleged a BJP conspiracy to dislodge the Mulayam Government and defame him.

Council rocked

Meanwhile, the lathi-charge on Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists here on Tuesday rocked the State Legislative Council here on Wednesday.

As the proceedings in the Upper House of the State legislature began, the members of BJP, demanding a debate on the issue entered the well of the house. When repeated requests by the Chairman Chaudhary Sukhram to regain their seats failed to have any impact on agitated members, the House was adjourned for 15 minutes.

Later, when the house reassembled, the BJP members resumed disrupting proceedings. -- UNI

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Mulayam says no to judicial probe into Mau riots

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