Key Muslim leaders want UP govt sacked; BKU appeals for peace

Prominent Muslim leaders led by Maulana Mahmood Madni of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on Tuesday sought the immediate dismissal of the Akhilesh Yadav-led UP government, saying that the government had failed to control the situation.

Prominent Muslim leaders led by Maulana Mahmood Madni of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind on Tuesday sought the immediate dismissal of the Akhilesh Yadav-led UP government, saying that the government had failed to control the situation.

Madni, who has followers in western UP, where the riots have taken place, said Muslims did not “expect this government to remain inactive and let riots spread”.

“It seems the Akhilesh government wants the riots continue,” Madni said.

The leaders said more than 100 sectarian clashes over the past two years had claimed dozens of lives and led to wanton destruction of property. This was evidence of the failure of the UP government to protect the lives of people from the minority government.

Meanwhile, the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), which has considerable influence over the farming community in west UP, launched a communal harmony movement in the rural areas of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts on Tuesday.

Expressing concern at the clash between the members of two communities, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said volunteers had been told to visit the strife-torn villages and request the members of both communities to maintain peace.

Fearing attacks, a large number of people have fled the villages. The BKU volunteers are urging them to return to their respective villages.