Mathura violence mastermind Ram Vriksh Yadav dead, confirms UP Police

Lucknow: Unravelling the mystery behind the disappearance of alleged mastermind of Mathura violence Ram Vriksh Yadav, UP Police confirmed on Saturday that he died in the clashes at Jawahar Bagh mounting the death toll to 27 with three more persons succumbing to injuries.

Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police Javeed Ahmad confirmed that Yadav's body has been identified by his associates and the family has been intimated for final confirmation. 

UP DGP Javed Ahmed took to Twitter to confirm the news. "Some of the dead in Mathura operation identified. Rambriksh Yadav's body identified by associates. Family intimated for final confirmation (sic)," he tweeted. 

Some of the dead in Mathura operation identified. Rambriksh Yadav's body identified by associates. Family intimated for final confirmation. — Javeed (@javeeddgpup) June 4, 2016

60-year-old Yadav was the leader of 'Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi', an outfit claiming to owe allegiance to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose whose members had encroached on Jawahar Bagh area for two years and clashed with police on Thursday when they tried to evict them. 

Yadav had a hardcore conviction that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Baba Jai Gurudev were still alive.

Ram Vriksh was the self-styled leader of Swadhin Bharat Vidhik Satyagrah (SBVS), a movement that has made ludicrous demands in the past on behalf of all Indians – 60 litres of diesel for a rupee, 40 litres of petrol for a rupee, 12 tolas of gold for a rupee, and the abolishing of the Indian currency. Another such strong demand by Yadav was to replace the Indian currency with coins bearing the image of Netaji .

 

IG (Law and Order) SR Sharma said Yadav was among the 11 charred to death in the fire that was caused by gas cylinder explosions set off by the encroachers.

According to police, 24 persons, including two police officers, had died in Thursday's clashes between police and encroachers at Jawahar Bagh in Mathura. The bodies have to be kept for 72 hours in the mortuary, which will end tomorrow evening, and later post mortem will be done.

Over hundred people are now being treated at hospitals in Agra and Mathura. 

What came as a total shock was the recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition -- from rifles to bombs, big luxury cars and mobikes from the protesters. Questions are now being raised as to who were financing and providing ration for such a huge congregation of squatters for more than two years, and under whose instruction they were provided power and water connections. 

 

Meanwhile, tight security arrangements remained in place with police preventing BJP MP from Mathura Hema Malini, who led a protest by the party, from entering the violence-hit area, citing ongoing probe and combing operation.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav raised compensation to the next of kin of the two slain police officers from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 50 lakh even as opposition stepped up attack on him, questioning why he did not visit Mathura.

The Chief Minister also announced extraordinary pension to their families and job to one member.

However, the main rivals of Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party came down heavily on Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's government over the Mathura violence with BJP chief Amit Shah demanding resignation of state cabinet minister Shivpal Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati seeking a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the incidents.

Accusing Shivpal Yadav, Akhilesh's uncle, of being responsible for the violence, Shah said "if even a little bit of self-respect is left in netaji (SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav), he should get the resignation of minister Shivpal Yadav immediately.

Addressing a meeting of booth incharge of Kanpur and Bundelkhand regions, he said "Akhilesh Yadav ji, if you have to maintain relation of chacha-bhatija, you should tell the public that you have no relation with them."

 

His attack came against the backdrop of BJP state chief Keshav Prasad Maurya alleging that the attackers were "goons of PWD Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav".

Shivpal, however, denied the allegation and said police would not spare alleged key accused Ram Vriksh Yadav.

Shah said there should be no politics over the incident. "Politics should not be done over the dead."

Virtually sounding the bugle for the 2017 state Assembly elections, Shah charged law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh has been reduced to mockery.

The BJP President also alleged that the Mathura incident has defamed Uttar Pradesh across the country.

BJP MP Hema Malini, who is facing flak for sharing pictures of her film shoot as violence erupted in her constituency, also sought to target the Akhilesh Yadav government over the incident, saying it needs to look into the law and order situation.

Congress spokeperson Randeep Singh Surjewala questioned why the Chief Minister did not visit Mathura.