‘Yogi Adityanath govt protecting criminals’

Police detain Bhim Army activists who were on their way to stage a protest, in Lucknow, on Thursday. Pic/PTI

A day after being attacked, Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad on Thursday demanded the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, claiming his government was providing protection to criminals on the basis of caste and religion.

In a note posted on Twitter, Aazad alleged the law and order situation in UP is worsening and "government-backed" criminals are in high spirits. He said when such criminals can target politicians like him, one can't imagine the atrocities being committed against women, Dalits, backward classes, tribals and minorities.

A bullet grazed the 36-year-old's abdomen when unidentified assailants opened fire at his car in Saharanpur's Deoband on Wednesday. He is undergoing treatment at the Saharanpur district hospital.

Aazad, who is also the president of the Azad Samaj Party, said, "My 56-inch chest is real, not fake. The fatal attack on me is a failure of the government because the security of the people of UP is the responsibility of the government and I am also a responsible citizen of the state," he said. The CM should take moral responsibility for protecting criminals and resign, he said.