New Delhi: The communal flare-up during a procession for the immersion of a Durga idol and the subsequent rioting and arson in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich have made a massive dent in Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath’s lofty claims of a “danga–mukt” or riot-free state. On several occasions, Adityanath, whose law and order tactics have been defined by the unfettered use of bulldozers and “encounter” killings of suspects and accused persons, has boasted that there has not been a single riot in UP ever since he took over its reins in 2017.
The Bahraich violence is a huge blot on that claim.
A Hindu man, Gopal Mishra, was killed and several others were injured in the incident, which included episodes of rioting and arson over two days by communally-charged rampaging mobs.
Given that the violence took place during a sensitive time and involved two religious communities, senior officers including the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash were sent to Bahraich from Lucknow to bring the situation under control. The officer, who also heads the UP Special Task Force, is camping in the affected area. The incident took place in Mahasi, a tehsil in Bahraich which was recently in the news for the incidence of wolves attacking children.
Much of Adityanath’s political energy since 2017 has been invested in ensuring that religious events, especially Hindu festivals, are conducted peacefully and without any restrictions on the practitioners of the majority religion. In several political and administrative events, Adityanath has dubiously claimed that ever since he came to power there have not been any incidents of riots or imposition of curfew.
Last year, while campaigning in Saharanpur for the UP urban body polls, Adityanath had said, “Aaj UP no curfew, no danga. UP mein sab changa (today there are no curfews and no riots in UP. All is well in UP).”
He repeated these lines in the 2024 Lok Sabha election as well, to target the previous Samajwadi Party government for its miserable record of failing to bring under control communal incidents during its tenure. The Bahraich incident, factual details of which are still emerging, involves allegations that had the local administration and police acted swiftly and smartly to defuse the initial tension over the playing of loud music on a DJ’s console outside a Muslim household during the procession, things would not have escalated.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s own MLA from Mahasi constituency, Sureshwar Singh, accused the local administration of committing a “big lapse.” “It was just a spark. When the cable was pulled out [from the console, allegedly by a local Muslim man who was offended by the music] and when they said music cannot be played on the road in front of us, the inspector should have taken those people to the police outpost. No such incident would have taken place then. But the matter was allowed to escalate,” Singh told a television channel in Lucknow.
He was speaking to the media on Tuesday, October 15 after participating in a meeting between the deceased Gopal Mishra’s family and Adityanath. Unable to prevent the incident, the Adityanath government is on the backfoot, as it tries to contain the communal tension on the one hand, while nabbing those involved.
Opposition parties are questioning the law and order situation in the state. Imran Masood, Congress MP from Saharanpur, asked “Where are the tall claims made by the CM that UP had become a ‘danga-mukt pradesh’ (riot-free state)?” Masood said that the violence in Bahraich took place right under Adityanath’s nose and that “rioters have got a free hand.”
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said the law and order situation in Bahraich had deteriorated and was out of control. In such situations, the intent and policy of the government “should not not be biased” but completely based on law so that the matter does not become more serious. “No matter which festival or which religion it is, maintaining peace is the first responsibility of the government. Special arrangements are necessary on such occasions. If such responsibility had been fulfilled, the Bahraich incident would never have happened. The government should ensure peace and security and safety of people’s lives, property and religion under all circumstances,” said Mayawati.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has also questioned the role of the administration in handling the initial provocation. “The administration should have considered the route of the procession, whether there was sufficient security arrangement on the route or not. What was being played on those loudspeakers? Was it to insult someone?” asked Yadav, while talking to reporters. He said that managing all these was the responsibility of the government. “Such a big incident happened due to the lapse of the government,” said the former UP CM.
In a post on X, Yadav also linked the Bahraich communal incident to the upcoming by-polls in the state. “The coming of elections and the worsening of the communal atmosphere is not a coincidence. The public understands everything. Everyone knows whose old strategy is to resort to violence out of fear of defeat. This is the knock of the by-elections,” said Yadav.
After the Bahraich incident broke out, UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya alleged that it was linked to a “conspiracy” to spoil the peace in the state. “Any conspiracy to spoil the peace and harmony in Uttar Pradesh will not succeed. Those who provide protection to rioters are becoming active once again. But we have to remain cautious and vigilant. The bright future of the state will not be allowed to be tampered with,” said Maurya.
On October 7, while convening a law and order meeting with senior officials for the upcoming religious festivals, Adityanath had said that derogatory comments against deities, icons or saints belonging to any caste, religion or sect were unacceptable, but anarchy in the name of protest would also not be tolerated. If anyone indulges in vandalism or arson in the name of protest would have to “pay the price” for it, said Adityanath.
On October 15, after meeting Gopal Mishra’s family, he said those behind “this extremely reprehensible and unforgivable incident will not be spared at any cost.”
Police in Barabanki district said that they had arrested four persons on the charges of playing indecent music on a DJ console outside a mosque during a similar religious procession on October 13. The accused persons had not only blared vulgar songs outside the Rauza Masjid in Barabanki but also threw slippers, shoes and colour at the religious building, alleged the first information report lodged at Tikaitnagar police station.
Police said that FIR was lodged under the charges of injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult religion and intentional act of hurting someone’s religious feelings. While four persons had been arrested, the role of others in the incident was being investigated, said police.