UP Govt invokes NSA against 2 for leading attack on Dalit area

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath invoked the stringent National Security Act against two residents of Jaunpur, Noor Alam and Javed Siddiqui, who have been identified as the main accused behind leading an attack on a Dalit residential area and burning houses after a row between two groups.

The arrests relate to an incident that took place on Tuesday, when children of two groups who were rearing cattle along a lake in the village Bhadehi, got embroiled in a heated argument.

According to a statement by the DM of Jaunpur, DK Singh, at first the matter was settled with the intervention of the village pradhan Aftab alias Hitler but late evening the pradhan along with his son Saleem and 400 other people, led an attack on the Dalit area, burning around 13 houses and vandalising vehicles.


The CM said all the families who lost their houses will get help from the government in getting new houses and compensation. The police had made 37 arrests by Thursday evening.

The incident comes days after a 17-year old Dalit boy was shot dead in the state’s Amroha district over what the police say was a money related matter that led the accused, Horam Chauhan, to kill the youth.

However, the parents of the deceased insist the murder was triggered when the youth wanted to enter the village temple on May 31 to pray, but was not allowed to by Chauhan. He and Lala Chauhan was arrested on Sunday after a case was filed under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.