Mayawati Demands Action On Kanpur Violence "Rising Above Religion"

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday attacked the Uttar Pradesh government over the violence and stone-throwing in Kanpur, asking the BJP dispensation to take action against the culprits "by rising above religion, caste and party politics".

Her statement came after violence broke out in Kanpur on Friday, a day when President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended a function at the president's ancestral village in Kanpur Dehat.

Bombs were thrown and gunshots fired during the violence as members of a group attempted to shut shops over alleged insulting remarks made by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma during a television debate recently, a senior police official said.

In a tweet Saturday, Mayawati said, "Riots and violence that erupted in Kanpur during the visit of the president and the prime minister to Uttar Pradesh is very sad, unfortunate and worrying and also a sign of the failure of the police intelligence.

"The government has to understand that in the absence of law and order, how investment and development are possible in the state?" she said.

She said the government should take strict legal action against the culprits "by rising above religion, caste and party politics and conduct an independent and impartial high-level inquiry".

She also appealed to people to avoid provocative speeches and maintain law and order, and peace.

According to senior police officials, the situation in Kanpur is under control on Saturday morning, but heavy police force has been deployed in the violence-hit areas.

Police have initiated investigation and arrested at least 18 people.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)