Lucknow:
A string of violent incidents have marked Samajwadi Party's coming back to power. Chief Minister elect Akhilesh Yadav has promised to deal with hooliganism with a firm hand and expel trouble makers from the party. However, four days after the victory, he already has his hands full with cases of violence pouring in from all corners of the state.
Following is a timeline of violent incidents that have swept the state since SP emerged victorious in this election:March 10: SP and BSP workers clashed in the Sandila area of the Hardoi district. One BSP worker was killed in the violence. Eight others were injured.
March 9: A police constable was allegedly run over by a car that belonged to SP MLA Ashutosh Maurya in Moradabad. The car hit the constable who was on a bike. The MLA's wife, along with two or three more people, was present in the car. After the incident, the MLA's family members reportedly abused few more police constables on the spot.
March 8: On the day of Holi, a BSP village pradhan, Munna Lal -- a Dalit -- was brutally murdered in Mansukhpura Agra; six assailants stormed into his house, ransacked it, and then repeatedly stabbed Munna Lal with a spear till he died. They were all allegedly Samajwadi Party workers. No arrests have been made yet. Then, a former BSP minister Ram Achal Rajbhar's son Sanjay Rajbhar opened fire at villagers in Ambedkarnagar after he landed in the village to confront those who had not voted for him. Two villagers were injured and an angry mob later put fire to Sanjay Rajbhar's cars and a rice mill owned by the former minister.
March 7: Dalits in Sitapur say their homes were burnt by alleged SP supporters because they supported an independent candidate. In Balia, five women and children were allegedly beaten by SP workers because people from their village voted for the Janata Dal United candidate.
March 6: On Tuesday, even as the SP's top leaders were thanking UP for the gift of 224 seats, an unruly mob of SP supporters attacked and cornered journalists in Jhansi till Akhilesh Yadav had to intervene. Also, a 12-year-old boy was killed during celebratory gunfire in Bhim Nagar.
In Firozabad, supporters of an SP candidate, who lost in the election, blocked the highway to show their disappointment.