Lathi only treatment for rioters: Yogi on West Bengal violence

HARDOI: Launching a scathing attack on his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee over the violence during protests in Murshidabad against the waqf law , UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday that "Bengal is burning" but its CM is "silent" and has even called the rioters "messengers of peace".

Speaking in Hardoi at the inauguration and foundation-laying ceremony of 729 development projects worth Rs 650 crore, Yogi accused Mamata of encouraging communal unrest under the guise of secularism. "She has given rioters free license in the name of secularism," he said.

Yogi's remarks came after violent protests erupted on Friday and Saturday in pockets of Murshidabad triggered by anger over the waqf law. The demonstrations soon escalated into riots, leaving at least three people dead. Yogi compared WB's current law and order to pre-2017 UP. "Before 2017, UP was plagued by frequent riots. We restored law and order because rioters only understand one language - that of 'lathi'. Mere words won't stop them," he said. tnn