MATHURA RIOT

Hema Malini's counterstrike: I reached Mathura within 24 hrs, where is CM Akhilesh?

Actor-turned politician and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Hema Malini, who found herself in the middle of a storm after she posted some pictures of herself from a film shooting set at a time when her constituency Mathura was rocked by a bloody violence, later made a counter-attack and sought to put blame on Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

"Within 24 hours, I reached Mathura, but where is Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav?" Hema Malini asked.

Twenty-four people were killed in the clash between police and encroachers during an anti-encroachment drive on Thursday in Jawahar bagh in Mathura. The killed includes Superintendent of Police Mukul Dwivedi. Twenty-three policemen are injured, including some seriously.

While 250 people have been detained for their involvement in the clash, the city continues to be tense even as heavy police reinforcement has been deployed.

"The state government should have taken proper action to eradicate this encroachment. It was only after high Court order, government tried to bring the situation under control. However, there were severe lapses on the part of administration and intelligence network in handling Mathura incident. The administration was aware of 3000 people with weapons there, but could not handle them," Hema Malini was quoted as saying by reports.

On Saturday, the MP slammed the media for 'targeting' her and diverting attention from the main issue. “I still can't understand how the great media thinks the sansad is responsible for law and order,” she said.

In a series of tweets the BJP leader argued that law and order is not in her control and that she cannot be blamed for the violence. "A sansad's duty is not to head the police force or quell rebels or evict encroachers. Development is my line of duty and I am sincere in my job," she said.

Hema Malini also lamented that though she has dedicated much of her time to Mathura, she is getting brickbats and loud accusations in return for her sincerity.

The MP had triggered a twitter storm on Friday after she posted pictures of herself from the shooting site of an upcoming film. She later deleted her tweets and said she was unaware of the happenings as she was busy with her shooting.

Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav has ordered a commissioner-level inquiry into the violence in Mathur even as the BJP said the violence showed "complete breakdown of administration and law and order" in the state and demanded a CBI probe.

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