UP govt should take action against those assaulting Dalits in Saharanpur: CPI(M)

The CPI(M) today condemned the "murderous" attacks on Dalits in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district and asked the state government to take firm action against those allegedly assaulting the community members.
The Left party accused the Yogi Adityanath-led state government of backing upper caste "perpetrators" of the violence and asked it to give up its "partisan" stand to ensure that law prevails in Saharanpur which has been witnessing caste conflicts since last month.
The party's fresh attack on the BJP-led state government comes at a time when violence erupted in the volatile UP district for the second day as unidentified gunmen allegedly shot and seriously injured a member of the upper-caste Thakur community, which is embroiled in a bloody conflict with Dalits.

"The situation is totally deteriorating and the atrocities on Dalits and Muslims are taking place right in front of the eyes of police. It is a clear case of complete absence of governance," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said.
The CPI(M) politburo, in a statement, attributed the "steady" deterioration in the situation to alleged lack of will shown by the government in acting tough against the upper caste "perpetrators".
"The CPI(M) demands firm action against all those involved in the atrocities against the Dalits. The administration has to provide full protection to the vulnerable people," the party said.

The Left party also asked the government to offer adequate compensation to those who have suffered losses due to the violence and withdraw false cases implicating Dalits and their leaders.

Some unidentified persons had yesterday set fire to at least 12 houses of Thakurs in Shabbirpur village ahead of the arrival of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati there.
A mob later attacked a group of people returning from a rally of Mayawati, killing Ashish (24), who hailed from Sarsawa town, on the spot and injuring four others.