All deaths during anti-CAA protests in UP caused by police bullets, alleges Akhilesh

Slamming the 21 deaths in Uttar Pradesh due to anti-CAA protest violence, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday, stated that 'all these deaths' were caused by UP police's bullets.

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday alleged that all deaths during anti-CAA protests in Uttar Pradesh were caused by police bullets and said the BJP's campaign in support of the Act is to "mislead" people.

Yadav, who visited the residence of Mohammad Wakil killed during an anti-CAA protest in the state capital, said, "He (Wakil) was not involved in the agitation. The government should probe as to whose bullet hit him. They (police) have the post-mortem report now."

"All the deaths during the agitation in the state were caused by police bullets," he claimed.

Yadav also demanded compensation, house and job for Wakil's family, currently living in rented accommodation.

He said families of all those killed during protests should be given adequate compensation.

The UP police initially claimed that none of the deaths was caused by police firing, but subsequently admitted some casualties in police bullets when cops fired in "self-defence".

Officials have put the death toll at 19 in widespread clashes in the state, though the opposition parties claimed a higher figure.

Yadav asked the government that if it wanted to make someone from another country its citizen, then why has it not given this "right" to Muslims.

"This is because you (BJP) want to divide society and play politics. Every Indian is against CAA and NCR. When Aaadhaar has all the information why NPR?" he posed.

"In a village, who has papers?...From where will I bring the date of birth paper of my mother? The government wants the people to only search for papers and not do daily chores," he lamented.

He said his party will resort to "Satyagrah" by not filling the form.

Noting that people of all walks, castes and religions were coming out against CAA and NPR, Yadav said, "The BJP knows its decision is wrong and against the Constitution."

Asked to comment on the BJP's campaign in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act, he said it was to "mislead" people.

"The BJP is misleading the people. What will they tell the people now? They could not convince us in Parliament. Now, they have come out to mislead the people," he said.

His remarks came hours after the BJP launched a 10-day campaign to dispel doubts about the law and also inform people "how the Congress and other Opposition parties are spreading lies about the CAA and inciting rebellion and anarchy in the country for their politics of appeasement".

The Act grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

Opposition parties have called the law against India's Constitution for making religion a ground for citizenship.