UP poll 2017: Rajnath Singh to hold rally in Akhlaq’s village Bishada today

Mohammad Akhlaq (L), Rajnath Singh (R)

New Delhi: The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Mohammad Akhlaq’s village Bishada on Wednesday to campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Dadri Assembly constituency. Actor turned politician from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, MP Hema Malini is also likely to attend the event. Bishada village in Dadri shot into notoriety after the lynching of Akhlaq by a mob in 2015 , allegedly following rumours that he had stored beef in his house. Among the 18 accused arrested for the murder is Vishal Rana. Rana is the son of local BJP leader Sanjay Rana. The attackers killed 52-year-old Akhlaq and seriously injured his son, 22-year-old Danish. The CM of UP Akhilesh Yadav had announced as ex-gratia of ₹1,000,000 for the family on 30 September 2015. CM also directed the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police of Noida to provide police protection to the family of Akhlaq. Later, the ex-gratia was raised to ₹2,000,000 and Akhlaq's elder son Mohammad Sartaj, a technician in the Indian Air Force, said that he has decided to move the family out of Dadri. The family shifted to Delhi. HM Rajnath Singh had also appealed to people to maintain communal harmony and promised strict action against those try to disrupt it. Reportedly, in the first week of December 2015, the relatives of Mohammad Akhlaq met the CM and expressed satisfaction on the monetary support they received and the progress of the case inquiry. At the same time, they, reportedly, requested the Akhilesh Yadav to close all further inquiries into the case.