NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday demanded the "immediate resignation" of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav even as it vowed to "fight to the end" for justice for the child victims of Nithari village near Noida.Party general secretary Vinay Katiyar on Wednesday visited the house in Sector 31 in Noida where children were brutally done to death over the last one year and more. Ashok Pradhan, Member of Parliament, and the local MLA (both from the BJP) accompanied him.

Addressing the press at the party headquarters here, Mr. Katiyar demanded that compensation to the families of the victims be increased to Rs. 10 lakh. The Chief Minister should resign and the State be placed under the President's rule to end the "total lawlessness," he said.

Even while children were being butchered in Noida, 50 children died in Khetihar village near Gorakhpur, Mr. Katiyar alleged. The administration apparently blamed "polluted water" for the tragedy. Three children of a family were among the victims, he added.

Plans dharna

The party planned to start a day-and-night dharna at Noida to protest against alleged police indifference, even connivance with the murderers, he said.

"My charge is that some big people are involved, but the police are trying to limit the case to one of sexual abuse and murder of children," he said. He held the Centre guilty as well. They [the Samajwadi Party and the Congress] fight during the day, but conspire together in the dark of the night, Mr. Katiyar alleged.

"Why has Mulayam not visited Nithari and Noida? Why this hesitation? If he has nothing to hide why does he not ask for an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation? He will be forced to order a CBI inquiry sooner rather than later," Mr. Katiyar said.

"No response to letters"

Mr. Pradhan said that from January 3, 2006, when he first wrote a letter to the Chief Minister about a missing child from Nithari, he had written many letters as more and more complaints came to him about missing children. "I wrote at least seven letters but did not get a response to even one letter. Then I went to see him and asked for a special team to be set up to investigate the matter. Nothing happened."

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail