Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday while addressing the Uttar Pradesh Assembly targeted the opposition over the Sambhal row and said that attempts are being made to hide the truth. Adityanath said that the atmosphere in Sambhal deteriorated due to inflammatory speeches given during Friday's prayers.
The UP CM said that the history of riots in Sambhal dates back to 1947. He claimed that 184 Hindus were burnt in 1974 and 209 Hindus have been killed in Sambhal since 1947. Raising questions about the Sambhal violence, Adityanath questioned who were the stone pelters, adding that whoever they are, they will not be spared.
"According to NCRB data, from 2017 till now, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a decrease of 97 to 99 per cent in communal riots," the UP CM said. He said that no actual riot has taken place in UP since 2017, however between 2012 to 2017, he said according to the NCRB data, 815 communal riots have taken place in the state and 192 people were killed. He said between 2007 and 2011, 616 instances of communal riots took place in which 121 people were killed.
The UP CM also said that the 'Jai Shree Ram' slogan is not provocative and speaking on the Nehru letters' issue asked what 'secret' was hidden in them.
