02, Oct 2015

Oct 02 2015 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)
ManMohan Rai
Lucknow:
An uneasy calm prevailed in Bisada village of Gautam Budh Nagar district on Thursday , three days after a resident Mohammed Ikhlaq was killed and his son grievously injured on the suspicion of cow slaughter, and the possibility of similar communal friction elsewhere in the state, including Azamgarh, for polarising the impeding panchayat polls kept the authorities on their toes.
Controversial remarks by BJP leaders, including Union minister Mahesh Sharma dubbing the killings an “accident“ continued to add fuel to the fire even as several residents of the village fled fearing further violence and police prosecution. The victim’s family, along with a few other Muslim families of the village, were also quoted by TV news channels as contemplating leaving the area for good.