Thaindian News

Lucknow, June 23 (IANS) Hundreds of Samajwadi Party (SP) activists clashed with policemen and were baton-charged in parts of Uttar Pradesh Thursday during their protests over the death of deputy medical officer Y.S Sachan, officials said.

Demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, SP activists raised slogans against Chief Minister Mayawati while staging marches in Lucknow, Bareilly, Bijnor and other districts.

In Lucknow, police used water canons and baton-charged SP workers while they were on their way to hand over a memorandum, seeking a CBI inquiry, to the district magistrate.

“Our activists were targeted unnecessarily at the behest of the chief minister who makes every effort to gag voices raised against her,” SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.

Even as police claimed no one was injured, Chaudhary alleged around a dozen SP activists suffered injuries.

“We believe Sachan was silenced by some of the high and mighty people in state government as they feared he could expose them. The truth will unravel only if CBI probes the case,” said Chaudhary.

Y.S. Sachan, the prime accused in chief medical officer (CMO) family welfare B.P Singh’s murder, was found dead in mysterious circumstances inside the Lucknow district jail toilet Wednesday evening.

He was also linked to the murder of B.P. Singh’s predecessor Vinod Arya, who too was similarly shot dead.

B.P. Singh was gunned down outside his residence in Lucknow’s posh Gomati Nagar locality April 2. His predecessor Vinod Arya was also shot by masked motor-cyclists, just as he stepped out of his home for his morning walk in October 2010.

Sachan’s death is the third in succession over alleged fraud in National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) funds in Uttar Pradesh.

Award of huge contracts for supply of goods and equipment under the centrally-funded NRHM and large-scale financial bungling were officially stated to be the cause behind both the murders.