The BJP on Friday asserted that the Mathura violence was a firm evidence of the collapsed law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh.
"There is a complete breakdown of administration and law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh. Mathura is not a small city. It is a centre of the region and such a hoard of ammunition and weaponry was getting piled up there. How did the local administration miss that? How such error can happen," asked BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here.
He opined that such an incident cannot happen without the knowledge of the local administration.
Twenty-four people, including two police officers, were killed on Thursday evening in a clash in Mathura's Jawahar Bagh colony between police and a mob resisting eviction from encroached land.
Patra added that the ammunition found there could not be made locally and must have arrived crossing many check posts and police barriers.
"Or were the people who were bringing this ammunition released after taking bribe at each of these check posts," Patra said.
"NCRB (National Crime Record Bureau) records show that since Samajwadi Party government was formed in the state, attacks on police personnel have increased by three times. In 2014-15, there were 300 attacks on police while in the last one year, police personnel were attacked on 1,054 times," Patra said asking: "How can a security force that is incapable of protecting itself guard the public at large?"
He added that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh must take responsibility for failing to discharge their respective duties.
Patra also said that the central government led by his party will assist and cooperate with the Uttar Pradesh government in every possible way.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said that he was taking stock of the situation.
--IANS
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