BJP to hold a day-long protest in UP against the arrest of its 60 workers in Moradabad

NEW DELHI: BJP seems to be getting ready for a fresh showdown with the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, after 60 of its workers were arrested in connection with the recent violence in Moradabad.

The party has decided to hold a day-long protest in all its offices in the state on July 26 against being 'unfairly targeted' by SP.

The decision to hold the protest was made at a national-level meeting held at the party headquarters here that was attended by senior party members from UP and all 14 MPs of western UP, including Union ministers Sanjeev Baliyan and VK Singh, who represent Muzaffarnagar and Ghaziabad, respectively.

Tensions escalated in Moradabad between BJP workers and the Samajwadi Party-led government in the first week of July when BJP protesters clashed with Moradabad police for detaining party MLAs, including Muzzaffarnagar riots accused Sangeet Som while they were on their way to a mahapanchayat organised to take up the issue of the removal of a loud speaker from a temple.

The mahapanchayat was banned earlier and over 60 BJP workers were arrested when they protested against the local administration. Around 1,000 BJP workers then had tried to block a train which had led to the damage of overhead railway wires.

The police then resorted to baton charge and tear gas and rubber bullets. BJP had accused the SP government of targeting BJP workers.

The meeting, said sources, was planned by BJP president Amit Shah, mainly to tell members to take part in 'jan andolans' but handle such situations better. It was also decided that protesters will go to the governor's office to register protest and file an FIR against police officials in Kanth, Moradabad, where the clashes took place.

"Since violence in Moradabad and some other parts of western Uttar Pradesh has been on the rise in recent times, MPs have been asked to monitor activities of their cadre and be in constant touch with workers in their constituencies," said Sunil Bansal, general secretary (organisation), BJP, Uttar Pradesh.