After Demonstrations, Karni Sena Now Attacks SP MP's Convoy Over Rana Sangha Comments
New Delhi: A group of men linked to the group Karni Sena and other associated Kshatriya outfits on April 27 attacked the convoy of Rajya Sabha member and senior Dalit leader of the Samajwadi Party, Ramji Lal Suman, by pelting tyres and stones at his vehicles in Aligarh.
This was the second attack on Suman and his associates by the extremist self-styled Kshatriya group who felt offended by his comments in parliament insinuating collaboration between 16th century Rajput ruler Rana Sanga and the first Mughal emperor Babur.
On Sunday, Suman was travelling to Bulanshahr to meet the family of a Dalit woman who was killed after a group of 'upper' caste men ran their SUV over her. Five others were also injured.
When Suman’s cavalcade reached the Gabana toll plaza in Aligarh in west Uttar Pradesh, Karni Sena activists threw rubber tyres and stones at the cars, causing some of the vehicles to face a rear-end collision. Some of the vehicles were damaged due to the impact. The Karni Sena members had gathered a large pile of tyres at the site.
Okendra Singh Rana, the youth national president of the Kshatriya Karni Sena, who was booked for vandalising Suman’s house last month, said that the right-wing group was behind the attack. He promised more such attacks in the future.
“We take full responsibility for this attack. But what’s sad is that he managed to escape again. Only some cars were damaged. The administration saved him again today,” Rana said in a Facebook video.
Suman alleged that the Karni Sena miscreants poured oil on his vehicle and broke the windows of the other cars. “They had come to attack me and to kill me, as part of a conspiracy,” Suman said, talking to reporters.
'Schedule was decided three days ago'
The Dalit leader blamed the Adityanath-led government for providing patronage to the attackers. “They have patronage of the state government. My schedule was decided three days ago. The police, the administration and the intelligence system all knew about it,” said Suman.
He said that the Karni Sena had got emboldened after the state government allowed its members to hold a rally in Agra on April 12. Thousands of men linked to the outfit and other associated Kshatriya outfits assembled on the outskirts of Agra brandishing swords, spears and thick wooden lathis in continuation of their campaign against Suman.
Aligarh police said they had arrested five persons for attacking Suman’s convoy. Instructions had been given to take strict punitive action against the remaining accused who spread lawlessness, said the police.
Aligarh Superintendent of Police (City) Mrigank Shekhar Pathak said an FIR had been lodged in the matter. Nobody was injured in the incident, he added.
'A criminal act'
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said the “deadly attack” on Suman by throwing tyres and stones on his convoy could have led to a fatal accident. “This is a criminal act. Collecting so many tyres together is itself proof of a deep conspiracy. This is once again a deep lapse of intelligence or deliberate negligence,” Yadav said. If the government and administration are trying to act ignorant despite knowing all this, then they should know that anarchy spares no one, and one day the BJP and their allies will also fall prey to such violent elements, he added.
Karni Sena leader Rana criticised the state government for providing security to the MP. “We got to know about his presence just 20-25 minutes before he arrived. We activated our teams. Had we received the information 1-2 hours prior to his arrival, you would have heard something better,” said Rana. “Jab tak todenge nahi, tab tak chorenge nahi (We won’t let him go till we don’t smash him),” he said.
Speaking in parliament recently, Suman, a senior Dalit leader, had referred to Sanga’s invitation to Babur to India to fight against Lodi ruler Ibrahim Lodi. In protest, members of the Karni Sena on March 26, vandalized his residence and vehicles parked outside it in Agra. On April 12, Karni Sena members and supporters organized a Rakt Swabhimaan Sammelan’ in Agra on the birth anniversary of Rana Sanga in a show of strength and to demand action against Suman. Kshatriya caste leaders raised provocative slogans at the event while those attending it created a ruckus on the highway to Agra.
Several Hindutva activists and outfits also issued threats to him. Police in Aligarh recently booked a Karni Sena leader Mohan Chauhan for allegedly declaring a bounty of Rs 25 lakh for Suman’s life. Following the threats, Suman even moved the Allahabad High Court seeking enhanced security.
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