The people in power in UP want communal tensions so that they indulge in vote bank politics: Shahnawaz Hussain pic.twitter.com/k1rPoIuzSH — ANI (@ANI_news) July 27, 2014

Blaming the local authorities for "administrative lapse", Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi said that if it was a fact that there was a court judgment on the issue and police help was sought by one side, then it was the responsibility of the officials to find a solution by making both sides understand that the court order must be implemented.

SAHARANPUR/NEW DELHI: BJP has accused the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh of promoting communal tension to reap political benefits after three people were killed in clashes in Saharanpur.An uneasy calm prevailed in violence-hit Saharanpur on Sunday where 20 people were arrested even as curfew and shoot-at-sight orders remained in force following clashes between two communities over a land dispute.Uttar Pradesh additional director general of police (Law and Order) Mukul Goel said, "No incident has been reported since yesterday. Curfew is in force and is being enforced strictly."He said steps were being taken to normalize the situation at the earliest. "It has been directed that action should be taken against whosoever is found guilty," he said in Lucknow.Saharanpur district magistrate Sandhya Tiwari, who toured the violence-hit areas, said, "The situation is better than yesterday. I have to just impose law and order in the city and the situation is quite normal now."She said 20 people have been arrested in connection with the violence.On the land dispute, Tiwari said, "I'm not going into it....The construction is on hold."Both BJP and Congress targetted the UP govt for the riot."The people in power in UP want communal tensions so that they indulge in vote bank politics," BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said reacting to clashes in Saharanpur.Shahnawaz Hussain further alleged that the Akhilesh Yadav government was weak on all fronts."Akhilesh Yadav's Government is weak on every front; he has failed to run a good government. He should maintain law and order in the state," Shahnawaz said.The Congress also blamed the state government for the riot and demanded that the state be divided into smaller parts."UP should be divided into parts, this is the right time for that," Congress leader Rashid Alvi said reacting to Saharanpur clashes."But letting the dispute fester... it's an administrative lapse and the local administration to some extent is responsible for this," Joshi said.Reacting to the charges, Samajwadi Party said there was an effort to "disrupt peace in the state" and that there was "no place for communalism, anti-social elements".SP leader Rajendra Chaudhary said that if the opposition tried to do politics on the issue, then the law will take its own course.The party blamed the Saharanpur administration for failing to control the clashes.Rioting began on Saturday when a group of people gathered outside the gurdwara and started pelting stones."It was around 6 am that the rioters first began the assault and started looting shops in the market," said Balbir Singh Dheer, the gurdwara pradhan. "It seemed well-planned."While one group claimed the disputed land belonged to the Wakf Board, the other insisted it had purchased it 15 years ago and has the papers to show for it.Soon the violence that went on unabated for the next four hours took the shape of a massive riot that engulfed the entire city. One group of armed rioters even tried to overrun the Qutub Sair police station, forcing the cops there to resort to lathi charge and firing.(With inputs from agencies)