One of the prime accused in the 2015 Dadri lynching case was seated in the front row during a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally addressed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday, 31 March.
According to The Hindu, Vishal Singh was sitting with the other accused in the lynching of 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq, who was killed for allegedly consuming and storing beef in his house.
In the police charge sheet, Singh was accused of making the public announcement about Akhlaq from a local temple, the day he was killed. All the 17 accused in the case are out on bail.
Yogi in Bishada Village, Home to Akhlaq
Campaigning for Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, in Gautam Budh Nagar’s Bishada village, Adityanath on Sunday said that the BJP government was working for all sections of the society. Bishada village was home to Akhlaq and that’s where he was killed.
He accused the previous governments of dividing people on the basis of caste, and alleged that the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) only worked for the development of their families, created caste divide for personal gains, engaged in appeasement politics and destroyed the social fabric of the country.
“But ever since Narendra Modi became the prime minister in May 2014, our government had said that it would not work for individuals, families, caste, or religion, but work for villages, the poor, youth, women, farmers and for every section of the society.”Yogi Adityanath
He further said, “Who does not know what had happened in Bishada? Everybody knows it. How shamefully the SP government tried to suppress the sentiments then. I can say as soon as our government was formed, we got all illegal slaughter houses stopped in one go and ensured its strict implementation.”
Hitting out at the SP and BSP, he said this is the same western UP where riots would occur from block level to district level every now and then and accused them of “conducting one side action to insult the majority community.”
He added that his government stopped illegal slaughterhouses from running without any check in the state.
BJP Ally JD(U) Reacts to Dadri Accused’ Presence at UP CM Rally
Reacting to Vishal and other accused’ presence at Yogi’s rally, BJP ally Janata Dal (United) on Monday, 1 April, said politicians sitting in high offices should not be seen in the vicinity of those facing serious criminal charges.
Speaking to PTI, JD (U) spokesperson KC Tyagi said it was not a good signal to the masses, adding:
“People watch the association of those in public life. Politicians sitting in high officers should not be seen in the vicinity of those facing serious criminal charges.”
(With inputs from The Hindu and PTI)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)