The family of Mohammad Akhlaq, who was beaten to death on a street near Dadri last week over rumours of eating beef, have left their home over safety issues and moved to Delhi. VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi was prevented from entering the restless Bisada village defying prohibitory orders.
As the village, about 60 km from Delhi, continued to be tense, a Hindutva outfit fringe founded by BJP MP Yogi Adityanath offered all help to the majority community “including guns” if they were harassed by the police.
Mohammad Sartaj, the elder son of Aqlakh, confirmed that the family moved to Delhi last night, eight days after his father was dragged out of his home by a mob and brutally killed.
Akhlaq’s younger son Danish, 22, was critically wounded in the attack and is undergoing treatment at a Noida hospital, is now able to communicate with the family.
Bisada, meanwhile, continued to be out of bounds for outsiders including saffron outfits, who tried to get their way into the village but were prevented by the authorities.
The welcome arch to the Rajput-dominated village, with a towering statue of Maharana Pratap atop it, is still heavily barricaded and has police presence at large scale. The civil and police authorities took out peace march and held peace committee meetings.
Sadhvi Prachi alleged there was a “conspiracy” behind the administration’s move to deny her permission to enter the village and asked why AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi was allowed to meet the victim’s family.
I wanted to meet families of Jay Prakash and Rahul Yadav but I was denied entry. I had requested the SDM in this respect. Owaisi, who comes from Hyderabad can meet, why I am not allowed entry? This is a ‘conspiracy’.
— Sadhvi Prachi
A resident of Bisada, Jay Prakash (24) was found dead under mysterious circumstances on Tuesday, while Yadav received bullet injury during protests against the administration in the aftermath of lynching of Aqlakh.
Talking to reporters, Sadhvi also targeted Uttar Pradesh Minister Azam Khan over his letter to the United Nations asking it to look into the “miseries” of minorities in India.
“His letter to the United Nations has tarnished India’s image,” she said, branding Khan a “traitor” who should be prosecuted.
Prachi also demanded a compensation of Rs 50 lakh each for the families of Yadav and Jay Prakash. “Prakash was tortured to the extent that he committed suicide,” she alleged.