Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son Akhilesh during the melee. Picture by Naeem Ansari

Lucknow, Jan. 9: A slap on the face of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s brother triggered street violence across Uttar Pradesh today that left a college student dead and many others injured.

Mukesh Kumar Yadav, 21, a member of a Samajwadi Party-affiliated union, was killed in police firing at Mulayam’s village Saifai in Etawah. He was part of a small crowd that attacked the police in a scene that was replicated all over the state.

Television coverage of Shivpal Yadav being slapped by a constable and arrested, together with Mulayam’s son Akhilesh, had set off the street protests. While in Saifai the police opened fire, in Lucknow they lathicharged the protesters.

Unofficial reports put the number of dead in police firing at two. The second victim was identified as Sunil Kumar, 20, also a student.

Mulayam accused the BSP government of “barbarity”. “If this goes on, the government of Mayavati cannot last long, for people will rise in revolt,” he said.

The chief minister retorted that she would not allow jungle raj in the state. “If the senior leaders of that party try to rescue party workers who indulged in violence, they will be booked in criminal cases,” Mayavati said.

Shivpal was slapped by the bodyguard of the additional SP (rural), A.K. Singh, after he allegedly abused the official last evening.

Accompanied by Akhilesh, Mulayam’s brother had gone to the office of the Lucknow superintendent to demand the release of 12 Samajwadi protesters arrested earlier in the day. The dozen were demanding student union elections at KKC College in the city. College polls have been postponed by Mayavati.

Shivpal caught Singh by the collar and started pushing him towards party workers, sources said, following which the police lathicharged the Samajwadi group and arrested both Mulayam’s brother and son. The two, who were injured in the lathicharge, were released later in the night.

This morning, a Samajwadi protest march in Lucknow was cut short by the police who used water cannons and tear gas.

But protests erupted all over the state. Vehicles were set ablaze, government offices set on fire and the police were pelted with stones.

In Mau, a Samajwadi mob set ablaze the CMO’s office and several vehicles. At Allahabad, half-a-dozen trains were stopped. Buses were burnt in Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Ferozabad and pelted with stones in Etah.

Two persons were injured in the firing at Saifai and 14 in lathicharge.

Mulayam said the Samajwadi workers were demonstrating peacefully at KKC College yesterday and were arrested without provocation. However, director-general of police Vikram Singh said all the party workers were armed to the teeth and had attacked the police.

The violence has broken out at a time when Mayavati has been training her gun on the Congress for refusing to provide her SPG cover.

Mayavati’s BSP and the Samajwadis have been locked in a bitter battle since the infamous guest house case of June 1995. Mayavati had then been attacked by Samajwadi workers.

After that, when she came to power in 1995 and 2002, the BSP chief slapped scores of corruption cases on Mulayam.