Amid sharp criticism from leaders of various opposition parties over the Muzaffarnagar violence, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday described it as a political conspiracy to destabilize the Samajwadi Party (SP) Government in the state.
Yadav said the government led by him is committed to restore normalcy in the state, and added that the culprits will be brought to book.
"The incidents can be solved by community elders, but there are certain forces which don't want peace to prevail," he told media here.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh earlier today assured the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister that the Centre will extend all possible assistance to the State in tackling the situation in violence-hit Muzaffarnagar district.
Dr. Singh, who spoke to Yadav about steps being taken to restore peace in the areas which witnessed violence recently, condemned the violence and expressed grief and shock over the loss of innocent lives.
He assured the chief minister that the Centre will extend all required assistance to the state government in tackling the situation.
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Accusing the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of playing politics over the Muzaffarnagar riots, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati earlier in the day demanded imposition of President's Rule in Uttar Pradesh.
"I think the BJP and the SP are hand-in-glove. Both the parties want to create communal tension in the run up to the polls. Both parties are together in this and trying to play dirty politics," Mayawati told media here.
"Law and order has deteriorated in UP from the time Samajwadi Party came into power. Samajwadi Party government is responsible for increase in crime against women and the communal situation," she said.
"We demand the SP government be dismissed by the Governor and President's rule be imposed. I had met the Governor two months ago and requested him to recommend that the SP government be dismissed. But unfortunately, he kept quiet in this regard. It seems he became active in this matter now when the Union Home Ministry demanded a report," she added.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh administration has suspended the Station House Officer (SHO) of Fugana and arrested over 90 persons following the riots in Muzaffarnagar, where 28 people have died and more than three dozen were injured in communal violence over the weekend.
Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Law and Order Arun Kumar informed Monday that 35 more people have been arrested since Sunday, taking the total number of arrests to 90.
"90 arrests have been made and raids been conducted. One Inspector has been suspended. We are stopping the people from coming here," said Kumar.
"Maximum (unwanted) incidents took place in Fugana. So, Fugana SHO has been placed under suspension," he added.
Kumar, who confirmed that 28 people have lost their lives so far following the violence, further said that no untoward incident has been reported since last afternoon.
According to a television channel, four BJP MLAs and a former Congress MP have been booked for Muzaffarnagar riots.
Top officials, including Saharanpur Divisional Commissioner S K Srivastava, DIG D C Mishra and Meerut I G Brijbhushan, have been shunted out. Four IG-level officers have now been sent to Meerut, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Bagpat to control the situation.
The administration has issued shoot-at-sight orders, as the violence has spread to the rural areas. The violence spread to Baghpat district late last night, where one person was killed and four others injured.
The army staged the flag march and took over law and order responsibilities in the districts of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli. The army has also been deployed in Meerut.
Violence broke out in the Kawal area of Muzaffarnagar on Saturday when members of a community returning from a panchayat meeting in Naglabadhod, three kilometres from Kawal, clashed with members of another community.