LUCKNOW: BJP today strongly condemned police lathicharge on seers and locals during their dharna staged in Varanasi and held Uttar Pradesh government responsible for "allowing" the situation to get out of control.
"There was resentment among the people against since inhumane lathicharge on saints and seers during immersion of Ganesh idols," BJP state president Laxmi Kant Bajpai said in a statement issued here.
He said that at that time the party demanded action against guilty officials, including the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police, but due to its administrative inability the Akhilesh-led government had failed to act.
Bajpai alleged that there was an atmosphere of anarchy in the state due to discriminative and vote bank politics of SP government.
"Situation turned worse in Varanasi due to laxity of the government. If it would have taken lathicharge on saintsseriously and acted against guilty police officers, then such a situation would have not arrived," he said.
The state unit president demanded that those involved in lathicharge on Pratikar Yatra, including the DM and SSP, should be suspended immediately.
He also demanded compensation to the people injured in police lathicharge and an inquiry by a sitting judge of the High Court.
Thousands of people, including seers, Congress MLA Ajay Rai along with some other leaders from his party and thosefrom BJP took out the march from Townhall to Dashashwamedh Ghat today to protest against the incident of lathicharge on them during their dharna staged between September 21 and 23.