Haven't read Saharanpur riot report yet, says Mulayam Singh Yadav

Evading questions about the Saharanpur riots report submitted to UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said today that he had not yet read the report. Yadav said, "The report will be presented to me in 1-2 hours. I haven't read it yet."

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had also said earlier today, "It is a report by their political party. I have nothing to say as I haven't even seen the report." Congress leader Manish Tewari, however, stepped up his criticism of both the Samajwadi party and the Central government.

"Samajwadi Party government's incompetence and BJP's communal politics gave birth to communalism in UP. Central government also wants such a situation where it can take advantage of it. It is the duty of central government to maintain communal harmony. During the UPA rule, there was zero tolerance towards communal riots," Tewari told ANI.

A five-member state committee report was submitted to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav earlier today, which sought to probe the reasons for the Saharanpur riots. The report has blamed the local administration for a lapse in controlling the riots initially. It also mentions BJP MP Raghav Lakhan's name, blaming him for allegedly inciting the violence.

Opposition leaders also panned the report saying that the ultimate accountability lay with the state government. "UP government may say it's the local administration's fault, but ultimate accountability is of the state government," said Akhilesh Pratap of the Congress party. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also told ANI, "It's an irony that the perpetrators of the Saharanpur riots are trying to be the judge, we reject the report."