BJP leaders

“They informed officials that two lakh people will join the ijtema but people say over 20 lakh people attended it,” the MP said.

He added that overcrowding kept officials and security people on their toes, giving troublemakers the opportunity to slaughter cows at Mahaw village.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appeared to distance itself from the remarks.

“In Bulandshahr our government has taken quick steps. We can’t talk on individual comments. The bigger picture is that the guilty, irrespective of who they are, would be dealt with as per law,” said Uttar Pradesh BJP general secretary Vijay Pathak.

The ijtema began on Sunday and drew visitors from across the country. Police have already clarified that the venue for the congregation was 40km from the epicentre of the violence and that routes were diverted to allow the crowd to move peacefully.

“This incident has nothing to do with the ijtema. The ijtema concluded peacefully. The site of the incident is 45-50km away from the ijtema venue and falls under Syana police station for which some miscreants are responsible. The legal process has been initiated in this regard,” the Bulandshahr police tweeted in Hindi on Monday.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati blamed the BJP for the violence, saying it was the result of the government’s wrong policies. “Violence in a district so close to Delhi was proof of BJP’S ‘jungle raj’ (lawlessness) in UP. The fact that now law keepers are also falling prey to this lawlessness is most worrying,” she said.

Congress leader Kapil Sibal also blamed chief minister Yogi Adityanath for campaigning in poll-bound states instead of looking after the situation in his state. “Instead of taking care of his state, Yogi is going to Telangana and spewing venom,” he said.