Rajya Sabha member and UP incharge of Aam Aadmi Party, Sanjay Singh, on Saturday said the Yogi Adityanath-led government in UP was acting on caste lines.

He also criticised the state government for incident in which a minor was gang-raped and her family was annihilated later. He said the Phaphamau case was even more brutal than the Hathras incident.

He alleged that goons perpetrating crime against people of deprived sections, exploited and poor had got free hand in Yogi Adityanath rule.

“On November 24, four persons, including a deaf and dumb and a minor girl of a Dalit family, were brutally killed in Phaphamau area of Prayagraj. The minor was raped before being killed by the miscreants,” he said.

He took a jibe at the state government, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party was busy in preparation for celebrating Constitution Day at that time.

“This incident has exposed the claims made by the state government which works on caste lines,” he said.

The AAP leader said he met the kin of the deceased persons on Friday. “They told me that they were being harassed since 2019 and they succeeded in getting an FIR registered after several efforts. But the police did not file the chargesheet even after two years had passed. The same family was thrashed by the goons in 2020 and in 2021. The victims made rounds of the police station for a week and a case was registered thereafter. But no action was initiated this time either. All of them finally were killed on November 24,” he claimed.

Singh said it was a matter of regret that the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh did not have time to meet the kin of the deceased.

“The brother of the head of the victim's family is an Army man and serves the country. His wife is apprehensive of her safety as her husband is posted outside,” he pointed out.

The AAP leader said the police in Yogi’s regime acted on the basis of the caste of the complainant. “The police see the caste to decide if justice is to be ensured to him/her or they have to make the person make rounds of the police stations,” he alleged.

He cited the incidents of Ballia, Hathras and also the cases of custodial deaths and said the law and order had touched nadir in the Yogi regime.

He said the law and order had deteriorated to such level in UP that a woman aspirant of SI exam was gang-raped.

He demanded punishment to the accused within six months by fast tracking the case in the court. He also demanded a hearing of the Phaphamau case in fast track court so that the criminals were punished.

He said the AAP would stage demonstrations at the district headquarters in protest against the Phaphamau incident.