By TCN Staff Reporter,
Lucknow: Member of Parliament Ali Anwar Ansari on Tuesday visited Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh where houses of pasmanda Muslims were set ablaze last month by members of the majority community. Ansari alleged that the perpetrators enjoy protection from the ruling party SP leaders and hence have not yet been arrested. The violence took place on 23rd June.
Rajya Sabha MP Ansari, who is also National President of Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz, led a delegation of his organization and visited Asthan village of the Kunda tehsil in Pratapgarh district. The delegation included Haji Nisar Ahmad Ansari, President Pasmanda Mahaz (UP Unit), Mohammad Harun Faridi, Haji Mumtaz Ansari, Shamsher Rayeen, Kalimullah Ansari, Haji Shafeequr Rahman and Dr. Abdul Rasheed, the National President of Momin Conference. In the targeted attack, over 50 houses belonging to pasmanda Muslims were looted and then set on fire by the villagers in retaliation of the alleged rape and murder of a local dalit girl by some Muslim youths.
However, Ali Anwar Ansari described the incident as preplanned and an instance of political conspiracy. It is said that the violence was masterminded by two persons; one of them is the person who lost the Gram Pradhan election to a member of the Pasmanda community while the other, a PDS dealer, is angry with the villagers due to a complaint lodged against his irregularities. Ansari demanded arrest of the duo who he said are being protected by a top leader of the ruling Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh.
Talking to pressmen in Allahabad after returning from the village, JDU MP from Bihar Ali Anwar Ansari demanded for a CBI inquiry into the whole episode.