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After displaying complacence in dealing with the communal violence in Muzaffarnagar that took nearly 50 lives, the Akhilesh Yadav government has finally decided to crack the whip.
Responding to the Bhartiya Janata Party’s call for a ‘bandh’ on September 22 to mark its protest against the arrest of party legislators for their alleged involvement in inciting riots, the UP government has issued a warning to all mischief mongers.
“Anyone trying to force the bandh by pressuring shopkeepers to keep their shutters down, would be dealt with very severely”, says a warning issued by the local administration.
District magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma has sought to make it loud and clear, “People are free to keep their shops and commercial establishments open; and nobody will be allowed to force anyone to shut his shop.”
He has urged the citizens to promptly inform the authorities in case they were coerced or intimidated by those who have given the call for ‘bandh’.
While making an appeal to local citizens to maintain peace and harmony, the DM has made elaborate arrangements to ensure law and order in the entire district.
“While the city has been divided into 10 zones to be manned by senior magistrates, each of the rural areas too would have zonal magistrates personally taking rounds,” the DM said in a statement.
Heavy police deployments have been made in the entire district, with central para-military forces doing regular rounds particularly in the localities badly affected by the recent communal flare-up.