Maneka seeks judicial probe into Bareilly riots

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Maneka Gandhi Monday demanded a judicial probe into the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Maneka Gandhi Monday demanded a judicial probe into the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district.

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"I want a judicial inquiry into (Bareilly violence). The (central) government should step in and solve the problem," Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha.

Bareilly has been under curfew for days after being hit by communal violence.

A minor clash followed by sporadic arson March 2 led the administration to clamp curfew in several areas.

Trouble was sparked off by a religious procession. What started with exchange of hot words between members of two communities quickly led to arson.

Three BJP MPs, including Gandhi who wanted to study the situation by visiting Bareilly, were prevented by the Uttar Pradesh Police from reaching the city Sunday.

"I was stopped in Ghaziabad and 10 policemen escorted me to Badaun as if I was the troublemaker," Gandhi, MP from Uttar Pradesh's Aonla constituency, told the Lok Sabha.

BJP's Meerut MP Rajendra Aggarwal and Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath were also stopped on their way to the city, she said.

She blamed the Mayawati government for what she said was the worsening law and order situation in the state. Bareilly was only a tip of the iceberg, she said.

"It is not only about Bareilly. It is about the entire Uttar Pradesh, the heart of India. We have to wake up to this now," she said.