UP: Mulayam under house arrest ahead of SP's stir

The Samajwadi Party on Monday alleged that its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son and Uttar Pradesh unit president Akhilesh have been put under "house arrest" to prevent them from leading a three-day agitation against the Bahujan Samaj Party government, a charge denied by the district administration.

"SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and state president Akhilesh Yadav have been put under house arrest and they are not being allowed to come out of their houses," party spokesman Rajendra Chowdhury claimed.

A strong police contingent has been deployed at the party office and the houses of the two leaders and barricades have been erected. The district administration, however, said that the two leaders were not under house arrest.

"The two leaders are not under house arrest. In fact, Mulayam Singh Yadav was scheduled to leave for New Delhi by a morning flight, which has been delayed", District Magistrate Anil Kumar Sagar said. He said that a "proper route" has been provided to the SP supremo to travel to the airport and his security personnel have already reached there.

The SP had announced a three-day agitation from Monday to press for ouster of the "corrupt" BSP government in the state.

Apprehending trouble, tight security arrangements have been made across Uttar Pradesh. The SP alleged that a number of its leaders were arrested or detained in their respective districts.