Akhilesh asks state home dept officials to monitor situation in Saharanpur

Lucknow: With tension prevailing in Saharanpur and Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday directed senior home department officials to strictly handle the situation in the two areas.

“A continuous monitoring of the situation in Saharanpur and Moradabad is being done by senior police and government officials,” Principal Secretary (Information) Navneet Sehgal told PTI.

“The CM has directed Principal Secretary (Home) to deal with the Saharanpur situation strictly. He has directed that there must be no laxity at any level and law and order must be maintained at any cost,” he said.

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Saharanpur, Tanveer Zafar Ali, said that a policeman sustained bullet injury in the clashes and has been referred to PGI in a serious condition.

Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan said that curfew has been clamped in three police stations and no one would be allowed to disturb law and order situation.

He said the district administration has been directed not to allow breach of peace at any cost. Situation is also tense in Moradabad where BJP has announced a visit to Kanth area.

BJP alleged that its senior leaders were either detained or prevented from reaching Kanth.

Clashes had erupted between BJP workers and the police in Kanth on 4 July over holding of a mahapanchayat called by the party to protest removal of a loudspeaker from a temple in Akbarpur village, which led to communal tension in the area.

PTI