‘Bahraich violence could’ve been averted had admin followed CM’s instructions’

LUCKNOW The communal violence in Bahraich could have been averted had the Bahraich administration implemented the instructions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, said a senior state government officer
The administration neither deployed extra police in the communally sensitive Mahsi area nor regular patrolling was organised to check activities of anti-social elements who tried to disturb communal harmony and indulged in violence, he added.
During the law and order review on October 1, the CM had directed that police and district administration officers should remain alert 24×7 and should assess all small and big incidents that took place in the state during festivals over the past years.
“They should make arrangements to check occurrence of any unpleasant incident anywhere during festivities – from Sharadiya Navratri to Chhath Puja,” he had said.
On October 9, chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and DGP Prashant Kumar had asked the district administrations and police officers to take measures to maintain communal harmony during festivities. “Foot patrolling should be organised in sensitive areas under the leadership of senior officers. Strict action should be taken against anti-social elements who try to disturb communal harmony,” they said.