UP Minister stirs row over visit to riot victim

Lucknow: An Uttar Pradesh minister has created a major controversy by refusing to visit the families of the two Muslim men who died during anti-CAA violence in Bijnor.

Minister Kapil Dev Agarwal went to meet Om Raj Saini, who was injured in the violence that took place in the Nehtaur area last week, and met his family. He did not bother to look up the families of Anas and Suleiman who had died in the violence and lived in the same area.

Later, when asked why he did not visit the families of Anas and Suleiman, the minister replied, “Why should I go to the homes of rioters? Those who are rioting and want to inflame passions — how are they part of society? Why should I go there? This is not about Hindu-Muslim. Why should I go to rioters?”

Meanwhile, Om Raj’s family maintains he was not part of any mob and that he was returning from the fields when he was shot at, allegedly with an illegal weapon of a rioter.

There have been violent protests in several parts of the country against the new Citizenship Act.

The men who died in Bijnor during Friday’s violence are 20-year-old Suleiman, an IAS aspirant, and 25-year-old Anas. The local police have admitted that Suleiman died in police firing.

Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said the incident reflected the BJP’s anti-minority policy and is a perfect example of why the CAA has been brought in.

Congress spokesman Dujendra Tripathi said it was a matter of shame that the minister gave priority to religion even in a tragedy. He said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had visited all three families during her visit to Bijnor on Sunday.

Published on: Dec 26, 2019 at 17:00 IST

IANS