LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh has invited criticism for flying in a riot-accused Muslim cleric to meet chief minister Akhilesh Yadav . The government had a special aircraft sent last week to fetch some Muslim clerics, including one charged with fanning communal hatred, from Delhi and west UP to meet Akhilesh to discuss the causes of the Muzaffarnagar riots in which 62 people were killed.

A defensive Akhilesh on Tuesday said, “Those who want to spoil the communal harmony in UP are questioning us over inviting clerics for talks. People don’t want the issue to be sorted out.”

Controversy arose after seven Muslim clerics – four from Delhi and three from Muzaffarnagar – were flown to Lucknow on board a chartered aircraft to meet the CM on September 28. The flight took off from Delhi with four clerics in the morning and stopped in Meerut where three more clerics from Muzaffarnagar boarded around 9am. After a meeting with Akhilesh in Lucknow, they returned to Meerut by 1.30pm. The trip cost the government Rs 1.5 lakh.

The delegation included Maulana Nazir, booked on September 3 for taking part in a protest at Khatauli crossing in Muzaffarnagar where scores of Muslims were stopped from proceeding to attend a panchayat at Kawal. When TOI contacted Muzaffarnagar police, they acknowledged that a case was pending against Maulana Nazir and seven others.

A senior police officer said Maulana Nazir was perhaps booked for violation of section 144 of the CrPC and for attempting to vitiate the atmosphere. “We know about it because we were when the FIR was lodged,” he said, adding that Maulana Nazir is too old to even walk by himself.

BJP tried to corner the government. “Nazir is an accused just like the BJP MLAs languishing in jail. So how can the government have different yard sticks for two accused?” asked BJP state chief LK Bajpayi.