BSP chief Mayawati demands strict action against assault over religious slogans

Raising concerns over the alleged assault of people over religious slogans, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Monday demanded the adoption of a strict policy by Central and state governments to tackle the "violent tendency".

Taking to Twitter, Mayawati wrote, "In Uttar Pradesh, there has been a new practice of forcing people to raise religious slogans and oppressing them over it. Centre and state governments need to adopt a strict strategy against this violent tendency so that brotherhood and goodwill continues everywhere and development remains unaffected."

Mayawati's comments come after several cases of people being thrashed for refusing to chant religious slogans have emerged from different parts of UP.

In two different incidents from Unnao and Baghpat, victims claimed to have been thrashed for not chanting religious slogans. The state police, however, refuted the claims in both cases.

On Sunday, a Muslim cleric in Baghpat district claimed that he was thrashed by a group of 10-12 boys and forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'. Speaking to media, the victim Imlakur Rahman said he was stopped on his way home and attacked by the group in Sarora village. However, police claimed that there was no communal angle to the incident and that it was only a case of assault.

Earlier, three Madrasa students were allegedly thrashed with cricket bats and were forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' during a clash between two groups in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh.

On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Police had said that it did not find any proof in the allegation made by three Madrasa students in Unnao about being assaulted for refusing to chant ' Jai Shri Ram' slogan and claimed that those who were named in the First Information Report (FIR) were not present at the spot at the time of the incident.