Varanasi court allows dropping of charges against all accused except UP Congress chief Ajay Rai in 2015 rioting case

Varanasi: A special court here has allowed the Uttar Pradesh government to drop charges against 81 people in a 2015 rioting case, leaving only state Congress chief Ajay Rai to face prosecution.

The MP-MLA court's order came Wednesday after the BJP government decided to withdraw the charges against the 81 of the 82 accused in the case. Among the 81 people are UP minister Dayashankar Mishra Dayalu and some Hindu saints against whom charges have been dropped.

Rai hit out at the Yogi Adityanath government, saying he is not going to be deterred by the "discriminatory action" of the state government.

The court of Special Judge Avnish Gautam ordered withdrawal of the case against 81 accused, except Rai, government counsel Vinay Singh said.

The case was lodged at Dashashwamedh police station here against 82 people, including Rai, on charges of rioting, arson, attempt to murder, and damaging government property after a violence broke out during the "Anyay Pratikar Yatra'.

Rai's advocate Anuj Singh termed the court's order as "biased" and said that they will approach the Allahabad High Court against it.

UP Congress chief Rai, in a statement, said, "For them (BJP) the word Sanatan is not a symbol of any faith and belief, but merely a weapon of political vengeance. This was completely proved when this anti-Sanatan government filed a case against 82 people who were involved in the 'Anyay Pratikar Yatra', a protest march against suppression of present Shankaracharya in Kashi in 2015. Except me, the government sought the withdrawal of cases against 81 others." "I am not going to be deterred by the discriminatory action of the government and will continue to fight for the injustice done to every aggrieved person or class along with Sanatan Samaj," he said.

The Congress leader said the government argued in the court that there are other cases against him, but additional cases are also against many of the 81 people who got acquitted due to political affiliation.

"Whatever cases are against me, they are related to political movements against injustice," the UPCC chief added.