SP leader murder: Yogi govt says MGNREGA road work only after dispute resolution

NEW DELHI: Two days after a Samajwadi Party leader and his son was murdered in Uttar Pradesh over a dispute regarding constructing a road under the MGNREGA scheme, the Yogi Adityanath government has ordered on Thursday that such a project only be undertaken after a dispute is resolved by the police and administrative authorities.
The UP government has also asked all district magistrates to ensure that all workers under MGNREGA and Panchayat officers be given security in rural areas if the need be.

“There have been incidents of dispute and violence during start of MGNREGA works. In this situation it is required that involved organisations, gram panchayats and Gram Rozgar Sewaks should ensure that in case of a dispute, the work should be started only after contacting revenue and police authorities and resolving the dispute. Also, all workers associated with MGNREGA, Gram Rozgar Sewaks and Gram Panchayat officers are given security and necessary directions are passed to that effect,” says the order issued by UP Principal Secretary M.K. Singh on Thursday to all the district magistrates.

A Samajwadi Party leader Chhote Lal Diwakar and his son Sunil were shot dead in broad daylight in the Sambhal district of UP on Tuesday over a dispute over laying a road under MGNREGA. The incident was caught on camera.

The road was being constructed in the Sansoi village over which the deceased and the accused who were a local group of strongmen had a running dispute. The UP police have arrested both the accused. The Samajwadi Party lodged a strong protest over the killings, slamming the UP government.