The UP police on Saturday arrested two more BJP MLAs and one BSP MLA for allegedly inciting violence and provoking communal tension in the recent Muzaffarnagar riots. The police has been put on alert in the western UP district to deal with possible protests by BJP supporters.
BJP MLA Sangeet Som was taken into custody from Salava village in his constituency Sardhana in Meerut district on Saturday after he telephoned the police and offered to surrender. A mammoth crowd had gathered at Mr Som’s village as the police vans rolled in and the cops had a tough time taking him out of the area. The supporters of the MLA continued shouting slogans in his favour and against the state government and tempers ran high in the area. Mr Som has been accused of uploading a fake video that provoked communal violence in Muzaffarnagar. “I have nothing to do with the video and therefore have nothing to fear. I have been arrested because of pressure from Mohammed Azam Khan,” he told reporters shortly before being arrested.
Mr Hukum Singh, the leader of the BJP legislature party, was arrested by the police as soon as he entered Ghaziabad. Mr Hukum Singh had gone to Delhi to meet party president Rajnath Singh and was returning home when he was arrested. The police also arrested BSP MLA Noor Salim Rana from Muzaffarnagar on Saturday for making provocative speeches. BJP MLA Suresh Rana was arrested from Lucknow on Friday. UP home secretary R.M. Srivastava confirmed the four arrests. All the legislators were produced before the court in Muzaffarnagar and have been sent to 14 days’ judicial remand. A local court in Muzaffarnagar had issued arrest warrants against 16 politicians earlier this week for allegedly inciting violence through inflammatory speeches.