Ensure free, fair polls in Kairana, other sensitive areas: HC

The Allahabad High Court today directed the Uttar Pradesh DGP and other authorities to ensure law and order and facilitate free and fair polling in Kairana town, from where thousands of Hindus have fled in the recent past under threat from local gangsters, and other such communally-sensitive areas in the state.
A division bench comprising justices V K Shukla and Sangeeta Chandra passed the order while hearing a PIL filed by Lokesh Khurana, who moved the court with the prayer that the Union Home Ministry be directed to take cognisance of the plight of Hindus in the western Uttar Pradesh town, where they are in a minority.

The court had, on January 19 last, directed the state government to file its reply on the PIL.
However, when the matter came up for hearing today, the court was told that a counter affidavit could not be filed since all officials were busy with the upcoming assembly polls in the state.
The court granted the respondents' request for more time and fixed March 21 as the next date of hearing in the matter.
The court also directed that proper law and order be ensured in Kairana, in Shamli district where voting will take place on February 11, and other communally-sensitive areas across the state so that people could exercise their franchise without fear.

The exodus of Hindus from Kairana made headlines last year when local BJP MP Hukum Singh released a list of more than 300 Hindu families which had fled the town following repeated extortion threats and violent attacks.

Singh had alleged that the ruling Samajwadi Party was preventing action against anti-social elements responsible for the exodus since they happened to be its supporters.
The issue had also figured prominently at the BJP's national executive meeting held here last June, which was attended by the party's top brass including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and national president Amit Shah.
However, the allegations were countered by the ruling SP which charged the BJP with trying to trigger communal tension in western UP with an eye on political gains ahead of assembly elections in the state.