Saharanpur violence: Akali delegation meets Akhilesh

Chandigarh, July 28 (IANS) Following the clash violence between Sikh and Muslim community members in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur town, a high-level delegation of Shiromani Akali Dal met Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on Monday and urged him to ensure safety of Sikhs in the state.

The delegation of Punjab's ruling party urged Akhilesh Yadav to provide adequate compensation to Sikhs, who become victim of the violence. They also urged him to ensure safety of Sikhs and asked him to allow construction of the gurdwara as per the norms under the ambit of law, a party spokesman said here.

Violence broke out in Saharanpur Saturday after a verdict by the high court on a land dispute led to some construction work on the land claimed by a gurdwara.

This led to a violent clash between two communities in which both sides pelted stones and fired at each other. Over four dozen vehicles and shops were gutted in the violence that followed.

Three people were also killed and over three dozen people, including a police constable, were injured, some of them critically.

The Akali Dal delegation, comprising Rajya Sabha member and former union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Punjab Assembly Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, and former union minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia met Akhilesh Yadav to assess the current law and order situation along with senior functionaries of the Uttar Pradesh government.

Dhindsa said that Akhilesh Yadav told the delegation that the situation in the violence-hit town was under control.

He also assured that the state would announce compensation to Sikhs affected by the violence.