Kasganj violence: Despite blanket ban on netas from visiting, BJP MLA from Hyderabad visits Chandan Gupta's family

Although the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has banned the entry of political leaders in riot-hit Kasganj, a BJP MLA from Hyderabad, T Raja, was allowed to meet family members of Chandan Gupta, who was killed in communal clashes on January 26.

While T Raja was allowed to enter Kasganj despite a ban, a Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) delegation led by state party president Raj Babbar was denied permission on Wednesday to enter the district. Earlier, a request from Samajwadi Party leaders to meet Chadan’s family was also turned down.

The District Magistrate RP Singh refused to make any comment on allowing BJP MLA to enter Kasganj while refusing to give permission to Raj Babbar and others.

After meeting the family, T Raja demanded that the Uttar Pradesh government crackdown on ‘traitors hiding in many parts of the state.’ “They hoist Pakistan flags and raise pro-Pak slogans to create communal tension. I am sure that many AK-47s would be recovered from their hide-outs during the crackdown,” he claimed.

Raja, who is also a patron of Sri Ram Sena, claimed that he was asked a series of questions by the family members. “They asked me whether it was a crime to take out a Tiranga yatra and asked whether they should hoist the tricolour in Pakistan, since it was a problem in India,” he alleged.

Earlier, the prime accused in the Gupta's murder was arrested as the strife-torn western Uttar Pradesh town, which saw communal clashes last week, moved towards normalcy despite tension in some pockets, officials said.

The UP government submitted a report on the incidents in Kasganj to the Union Home ministry conveying that the police were probing the violence and whether it was pre-planned, an official said.

"Saleem, the main accused, has been nabbed," IG, Aligarh range, Sanjeev Gupta said.