New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) Demanding the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the brutal lynching of a Dalit youth in Raebareli, the Congress on Monday alleged total collapse of law and order in the state with rising atrocities against Dalits, women and Muslims.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Chairman of the Scheduled Caste Department of the Congress Rajendra Pal Gautam, and Member of Parliament Imran Masood, alleged that with the complete collapse of law and order in UP, criminals are having a free run.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Raebareli MP Rahul Gandhi spoke to family member of the Dalit victim Hariom, whose body was found by police on railway tracks on October 2 in Unchahar.

During Monday’s media briefing, the Congress leaders played a video recording of the lynching of a Dalit youth.

Demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister, Gautam sought Rs 1 crore each in compensation for the families of the victims of such incidents. Besides, he said, these cases should be tried in fast-track courts for timely justice.

Gautam said that during the last 10 years, there has been an alarming increase in the atrocities against Dalits in Uttar Pradesh, with institutional discrimination becoming the new normal.

Quoting data from the National Crime Records Bureau, he said that in five BJP-ruled states there has been an increase of 75 per cent in cases of atrocities against the Dalits, with Uttar Pradesh alone accounting for 26.2 per cent of such incidents.

Masood alleged that the Constitution of the country was under threat. He said the Yogi Adityanath government had completely failed on the issues of law and order and corruption.

He added that crimes against Dalits, women and Muslims were on the rise.

The MP asserted that the state government was blatantly violating the Supreme Court guidelines and continuing to carry out “bulldozer justice” in the state.

He said it is not the rule of law that is prevailing in the country, but the rule of the BJP’s ideology. He alleged that the BJP is patronising and protecting those who are spreading hatred and violence.

Referring to the lynching incident, the Congress leaders said that Amethi MP K L Sharma and PCC president Ajay Rai met the family and offered support.

The Congress will soon constitute a fact-finding team to look into such incidents and release a report, they said.

–IANS

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