
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
LUCKNOW – After the attack on a Masjid imam late at night on Monday here, Uttar Pradesh-based human rights activists have blamed chief minister Yogi Adityanath for a steady worsening of the law and order situation in the state.
Imam Abdul Muqeem told Clarion India that while he was asleep, an unidentified person came in and attacked him. He screamed aloud, and by the time a neighbour came to his rescue, the assailant(s) ran away. The neighbour reported the matter to the police and admitted him to a hospital with severe injuries on his hand and head. The attack came at a time when the issue of murder of Hindu Samaj leader Kamlesh Tiwari remained a hot topic of debate in public fora.
While Imam Muqeem was restrained in his reaction to the attack on him, activists held the Yogi Adityanath government responsible for the worsening law and order situation in the BJP-ruled state. Rajiv Yadav, secretary of the civil rights group Rihai Manch, said these murders, attacks and encounters were done in UP on the lines of the Gujarat model offensives against the minorities.
“These attacks and murders are not insignificant. We got the news that a Muslim advocate was gunned down in Allahabad. This is the UP pattern of the Gujarat model,” said Yadav, adding that there was a deliberate effort to create an atmosphere of violence in the state. He referred to the recent increase in the numbers of police encounters and related deaths in the state. The victims of these murders, attacks and encounters were mostly Dalits, Muslims and OBCs, he said.
Meanwhile, some leaders of the Rihai Manch met the Imam on Wednesday. Manch President Mohammed Shoaib said the way the imam was attacked late at night, it was clear the assailants felt being protected under this government. It also appeared that there was collusion between the cops and the criminals. He cited the example of Inspector Subodh Kumar’s murder in Bulandshahar. The silence of CM Adityanth over the grand welcome accorded by a saffron group to the accused meant all these were happening under the protective cover of the government. He also accused the police of weakening the Subodh Kumar murder case in ways as to help the accused go scot free.
The Manch also accused the Adityanath government of muzzling the voices of dissent. It cited the instance of a case being filed recently against journalist Asad Rizvi after he criticized the administration.