Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday alleged the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district over the survey of a mosque was "orchestrated" by the BJP, the government and the administration "to divert attention from electoral malpractice".

Police used tear gas and "minor force" in the face of stone pelting by locals in Sambhal on Sunday as tension escalated during a second survey of the Mughal-era mosque, claimed to be originally the site of an ancient Hindu temple.

Ten people have been detained and a probe was launched into the violence, an official said.

Tension has been brewing in Sambhal over the past few days after the Jama Masjid was surveyed last Tuesday on the orders of a local court following a petition that claimed that a Harihar temple stood at the site.

A day after the Uttar Pradesh bypoll results were declared and the Samajwadi Party managed to win just two seats while the BJP and its ally RLD bagged the other seven, Yadav levelled serious allegations against the police and administration.

"A serious incident occurred in Sambhal. A survey team was deliberately sent in the morning to disrupt discussions about the elections. The intention was to create chaos so that no debate on election issues could happen," the Samajwadi Party chief claimed.

Citing reports, he said several people were injured in the violence in Sambhal and asked when a survey of the mosque was already done, why was a new survey conducted again and "that too in the morning and without preparation?"

"I don't want to go into the legal or procedural aspects, but the other side was not even heard. This was intentionally done to provoke emotions and avoid discussions on election rigging," Yadav said.

"What happened in Sambhal was orchestrated by the BJP, the government and the administration to divert attention from electoral malpractices," the former UP chief minister alleged.

Asserting that in democracy, true victory comes from the people, not the system, he said, "The new democracy created by the BJP ensures that people cannot vote while the system dominates."

He added that whenever an impartial investigation takes place, and the truth comes out through booth recordings and CCTV footage, it will be evident that "voters did not cast their votes and someone else became the voter inside the booth".

Yadav claimed that on the polling day, the police and the administration removed the Samajwadi Party's almost all booth agents and many supporters who wanted to vote.

"If voters were prevented from voting, then who cast the votes? If Samajwadi Party votes didn't reach those booths and our candidate didn't get support, then who voted there? This is a serious issue," he said.

"Additionally, there were two types of slips, -- one with a red mark and another regular slip. We raised this issue on the voting day itself, stating that the administration had created such arrangements, leading to discrimination," Yadav alleged.

The Samajwadi Party's candidate for the Kundarki assembly bypoll Haji Rizwan too has alleged that his supporters were prevented from voting.

The BJP's Ramveer Singh won the bypoll in the Kundarki seat by a margin of over 1.45 lakh votes.

 

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Islamabad, May 4 (PTI): Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned India that it would strike any structure that is built on the Indus River in “violation of the Indus Waters Treaty”, which was suspended following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Ties between the two neighbouring countries plummeted following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.

India, among other punitive actions, announced the suspension of the 1960 accord, which governs water sharing between the two countries.

Speaking on a Geo News programme on Friday, the defence minister said, “Certainly, if they attempt to build any kind of structure, we will strike it.”

Asif said that building any structure on the Indus River would be seen as “Indian aggression” against Pakistan.

“Aggression is not just about firing cannons or bullets; it has many faces. One of those faces is [blocking or diverting water], which could lead to deaths due to hunger and thirst,” he added.

The defence minister said, “If they make any architectural attempt, then Pakistan will destroy that structure.

“But for now, we are heading to forums available to us, starting from the IWT [Indus Waters Treaty]. We will pursue this matter."

According to a media report on Friday, Pakistan is planning to issue a formal diplomatic notice to India against its unilateral move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty.

The decision was made after initial consultations between Pakistan’s ministries of Foreign Affairs, Law, and Water Resources, The Express Tribune reported.

Separately, Pakistan on Saturday conducted a training launch of the Abdali weapon system — a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 450 kms.

Earlier on April 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to punish the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam terror attack and their backers.

In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass on April 29, Modi asserted that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the terror attack, according to government sources.