Lucknow (UP), Jun 24 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday condemned the alleged tonsuring of two religious preachers, including one from the Yadav community, by "upper caste men" and said the state government was unjust, heartless and undemocratic in its treatment of the marginalised.
Yadav held a press conference on Tuesday at the party headquarters here, calling on the government to take strict action against those involved in the incident.
The former UP chief minister also met the victims, gave them shawls and offered them Rs 21,000 each.
A purported video of the incident shows the victims being abused with casteist slurs and threatened after the two 'katha vachaks' (narrators of holy texts) had gone to Dandarpur village for a 'Bhagwat Katha'.
After the video of the tonsuring went viral on social media, police arrested four persons on Monday.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Etawah, Brijesh Kumar Srivastava said a video showed some villagers "misbehaving with the 'katha vachaks' and cutting their hair despite their unwillingness. The incident of tonsuring took place on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.
Speaking on the incident at the press conference, Yadav, without taking any names, said the power levers of society are as per the government's actions and added that some people in the state think it was "their government" and are hence acting with impunity.
Yadav said the government has not tried to send a message that if someone commits such an incident, there will be consequences. "All this is happening under the protection of the government," he said.
"The Bharatiya Janata Party wants to let these incidents happen to gain political favour. If people sitting in the government ensure justice, then many such incidents will not happen. But what is this attitude of the government? This government is heartless, undemocratic and supports every unconstitutional work."
He said if the government were to follow the Constitution and its preamble then poor people living in villages, people from PDA -- 'pichchde' or backward communities, Dalit and 'alpsankhyak' or minorities -- families "would start getting justice".
"People sitting in the government are constantly being unjust. Those dominant, supremacist people are constantly intimidating, threatening and humiliating the people of PDA families," Yadav said.
"The real reason behind the increasing attacks on the PDA community is that dominant groups think that the BJP government is a government of those who have wielded power for centuries and it is standing with them and will save them. But now the unity and solidarity of the PDA community will give a befitting reply to this."
The PDA community is being oppressed by only "2,500 people" in the government, he said.
Challenging the notion of exclusivity in religious practices, Yadav asked, "The question is, Bhagwat Katha is for everyone, if everyone can listen, why can't everyone speak? Bhagwat Katha is related to Lord Krishna. If true devotees of Krishna are stopped from Bhagwat Katha...why would anyone tolerate this insult?"
Some "dominant and supremacist people" want to maintain their monopoly over Bhagwat Katha and have turned it into a business, the MP from Kannauj said.
The "disgraceful" Etawah incident happened because of such people, he said.
Yadav said, "If there is so much prejudice against the people of PDA families, then let them declare that they will never accept their offerings and donations.
"And if you want to have a monopoly -- you claim from time to time that you have abolished Article 370 -- then bring a law in the country that only you are allowed to be 'katha vachak', and that PDA community is not allowed."
He said people are "mentally harassing and humiliating" PDA families, sometimes by "sprinkling Ganga water" on homes and temples and now even shaving heads.
"The day the PDA community starts telling its own story, the empire of these traditional powers will collapse," the former chief minister said.
The SP chief said the PDA community is looked down on under the BJP rule. "We have heard that even the person sitting on the highest seat in the country has been insulted once. Even the President of the country has faced it."
As consciousness and awareness are rising among the PDA community, atrocities by the dominant groups are also increasing to "create psychological pressure", Yadav said.
Yadav said the entire BJP was "history-sheeter" and has now "spoiled the system" after coming to power.
"Tell me the cases against the chief minister (Yogi Adityanath) that he has withdrawn (after coming to power). What cases did the deputy chief minister withdraw? After all, who has spoiled the system? Where should we go to seek justice?"
In a post on X, the SP chief the Constitution does not allow caste discrimination.
"...this is a crime committed against the fundamental right to live with dignity and respect. All the accused should be immediately arrested, and a case should be registered under appropriate sections."
"If strict action is not taken within the next three days, we will call for a major movement to protect the dignity and honour of the PDA.' Nothing is greater than the honour of PDA!" he posted in Hindi.