BJP Leader Accuses Akhilesh of Plotting His Assassination

BJP leader Sangeet Som has made sharp allegations against Akhilesh Yadav, claiming that the Samajwadi Party chief wanted him killed during the Muzaffarnagar riots. The remarks have revived a heated debate about the communal violence in western Uttar Pradesh.

Som held Akhilesh Yadav directly responsible for the alleged plot and said he had no reservations about making the accusation public. He made the statements during an interview in Ghaziabad.

Referring to the riots, which killed hundreds of people, Som said the Samajwadi Party and its supporters had built an atmosphere of intimidation in the area. He said he was arrested at the time and that false cases were registered against him.

He stated that he was taken to the Muzaffarnagar jail and removed from there within two hours. After that, he claimed, he was driven through forests for the entire night.

Som said police personnel had told him things he could not repeat on camera. He added that they had informed him they were acting under instructions from above.

The BJP leader also said he was later moved to a location several kilometres away, where he was taken to a jail that had been completely emptied. He questioned the need to clear the entire facility instead of one barrack, saying not a single prisoner was present.

According to Som, jail authorities warned him that his life was at risk and that he was being kept there because someone could attempt to kill him. He said he then informed his supporters.

He praised the Valmiki community for calling an immediate panchayat and surrounding the jail. He said a mahapanchayat was subsequently held at Kheda, where, in his telling, the administration and police fired on the crowd.

Som added that several people were shot and hospitalised, with some undergoing surgery. He also noted that media representatives had been present at the location.

Concluding his remarks, Som said that since such incidents had happened to him at the time, he did not see why he should not say that Akhilesh Yadav wanted him killed.