Vinay Verma.
Credit: X/@VinayVermaMLA
Siddharthnagar: BJP ally Apna Dal (S) MLA Vinay Verma called off his indefinite strike on Wednesday afternoon after the in-charge of Shohratgarh and Dhebarua police stations were transferred and sent to reserve police lines.
Verma, the MLA from Shohratgarh constituency, started the indefinite protest on September 10 against the alleged "biased" attitude of Siddharthnagar Superintendent of Police Prachi Singh towards him and demanded her transfer.
"The government has accorded me respect by transferring the two police officials and in respect of the government I have called off my protest. Their shunting was among my demands," Verma told PTI over the phone.
"The other demand was for removal of the Superintendent of Police. Now I have called off the protest but I will take up this matter with the chief minister when I meet him next. First I will meet the people of my constituency," he added.
Verma said that by removing the SHOs, the government has respected the public sentiments and expectations of the common voters.
He said the government's intention to eradicate corruption has also been strengthened with this move.
In order to pacify the MLA and convince him to end his protest, MLC Dhruv Kumar Tripathi, MLA Shyamdhani Rahi, BJP district in-charge Haricharan Kushwaha and BJP district president Kanhaiya Paswan along with Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Siddhartha reached the protest site.
The MLA had recently accused the station officer of Dhebarua police station of protecting some people in the investigation of the death of a driver due to fire in the tractor trolley after it overturned during illegal soil mining in Shohratgarh assembly constituency.
The MLA had also accused the Shohratgarh police station in-charge of misbehaving with him over making a legitimate plea and giving protection to the drug mafia in the town.
The MLA also alleged that the Superintendent of Police had instructed the police station in-charges of Dhebarua and Shohratgarh to discriminate against him and not listen to him.