Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday, 8 October said that the reports of violence against workers from his home state, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar were false. He said, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had told him that no such incident has taken place in the last three days.
He also said that rumours were being fuelled by people ‘jealous’ of Gujarat’s development.
“Gujarat CM has clearly told me that no such incident has taken place in the last 3 days. People who are jealous of development in Gujarat are spreading such rumours. Effective steps have been taken by the Gujarat government.”Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh
Rupani, on the other hand, told news agency ANI that the accused was arrested within 24 hours of the incident and that the situation was under control.
“The situation is under control in Gujarat, and I appeal to people to maintain peace and brotherhood. The culprit of the rape case was arrested within 24 hours. We will ensure severe punishment for the culprit.”Vijay Rupani, Gujarat CM
Background
There has been a spate of violence in the state of Gujarat against the Hindi-speaking migrant workers from states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh over the alleged rape of a 14-month-old child.
Thousands of workers have fled to their respective hometowns in light of the increasing violence against them.
Gujarat Police on Sunday arrested over 300 people in connection with the attacks over the alleged rape of a toddler on 28 September. Gujarat Police chief Shivanand Jha said that 342 people were arrested from six districts in as many as 42 cases of attacks on migrants.
According to The Indian Express, the accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including 147 (rioting) and 143 (unlawful assembly).
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)