Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata party have come under an outspoken attack from one of India’s highest courts after mob violence erupted in the north of the country on Friday, leaving 36 people dead.
Judges at the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday criticised both the Indian prime minister and the chief minister of the state of Haryana for allowing the outbreak of violence among followers of a popular guru who had been convicted of rape.
The court accused the governing BJP of allowing the rioting to occur in order to shore up votes among followers of Ram Rahim Singh, the flamboyant leader of the popular Dera Sacha Sauda sect. Mr Singh was convicted on Friday of raping two of his devotees, and will be sentenced on Monday.