Agra (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 12 (HBTV): Agra Police on Wednesday confirmed that members of the Karni Sena were involved in vandalism and stone-pelting outside the residence of Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Ramji Lal Suman in Agra.

ACP Agra, Sanjeev Tyagi, stated that the individuals pelted stones, damaged window panes, and vandalised vehicles parked outside the MP's house following a controversial statement made by Suman.

‘Some people belonging to Karni Sena got angry after a statement of Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman. They went to his residence, pelted stones and broke glasses. Several people have been taken into custody. The entire incident is being investigated. Some police officials were also injured in the incident,’ Tyagi said.

Suman had reportedly referred to Rana Sanga as a ‘traitor’ for allegedly bringing Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, to defeat Ibrahim Lodi.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was in the district at the time of the incident, had given consent for the attack. Yadav emphasised Suman’s experience and position as a Dalit MP, calling the attack even more serious.

‘On March 23 I said neither we nor the BJP should turn the pages of history. Whenever the BJP has turned the pages of history, they have turned to gain political advantage and how to spread hatred. What happened is part of history. Today we should talk about moving forward. The incident with Ramji Lal Suman is sad and should be condemned. Ramji Lal Suman is a Dalit MP and has a lot of experience and his residence was attacked when the Chief Minister himself was in the district. This attack took place with the consent of the Chief Minister of UP,’ Yadav said.

He further criticised the state government’s claim of zero tolerance.

‘Without the knowledge of Chief Minister, how could this have happened when the CM is present in the district? A woman went to Varanasi and returned to her brother's house and was raped and murdered. The state government used to claim that no incident would occur against women. After that, the government had to carry out encounters to improve its image. Then, another woman was killed. In Allahabad, a girl was raped. An MLA from Ghaziabad spoke about how officials are carrying out loot. To hide all this, CM will continue to spread hate and the time has come for his departure,’ he added.

BJP’s Amit Malviya held Akhilesh Yadav responsible for the violence, alleging that his support for Suman’s remarks incited the attack.

Malviya posted on X: ‘SP MP Ramji Lal Suman called the great warrior Rana Sanga a traitor. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav added fuel to the fire by supporting his objectionable statement for appeasement. As a result, Karni Sena attacked Ramji Lal's house.’

‘Akhilesh Yadav wants caste conflict and is responsible for this violence. SP is an anti-social and deeply anti-Hindu party,’ he added.

SP MP Awadesh Prasad also condemned the attack and urged the Uttar Pradesh government not to encourage such groups.

‘Ramji Lal Suman is a senior leader of our party, he is an MP. Doing something like this at his residence and insulting him and his family – I strongly condemn this. I demand the UP Government to not encourage such elements in the state that would disrupt the peace in the state,’ Prasad said.

SP MLA Ranjeet Suman also alleged that the attackers were affiliated with Karni Sena. He stated that threats had been circulating on social media for two days prior to the incident. The Rajasthan unit of the Karni Sena reportedly announced a reward of INR 5 lakh for anyone who would blacken Suman’s face and hit him with shoes.

‘Since two days, people were threatening through social media to come to the residence and attack us. Today, they came here, and a lot of people were attacked, and they suffered injuries. The people belong to Karni Sena. Police were present here and they were injured too,’ Ranjeet Suman said.

SP MP Dimple Yadav alleged that the vandalism was orchestrated by the BJP government.

‘If we see the situation in Uttar Pradesh, where bombs are exploding on the roads, where women are not safe. It is the responsibility of the government. If such incidents are happening, then it is very unfortunate. What message do you want to give to the young generation? The government should take strict action against this. Somewhere this is an act done by the government,’ she said.

On March 24, SP MP Ramji Lal Suman clarified that his statement was not intended to hurt anyone’s sentiments.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Jagadambika Pal strongly condemned Suman’s statement, stating it had offended millions of people. He criticised SP for not taking disciplinary action against Suman.

‘The sentiments of crores of people were hurt by his statement. No public representative has the right to make a statement about a person who is very respected and his party did not even issue a show cause notice against him and did not take any action against him. These people speak against Sanatan Dharma every day, say disrespectful things against great men,’ Pal said.

Rana Sanga, also known as Sangram Singh I, ruled Mewar from 1508 to 1528 and is revered for his bravery and sacrifices. Suman’s remarks have faced widespread criticism, with several groups demanding an apology and action against him.

(ANI)