BJP MLA 'assault': FIR lodged against Lakhimpur Kheri bar association president, wife

Lakhimpur Kheri: Lakhimpur Kheri bar association president Awadhesh Singh and his wife and former Urban Cooperative Bank chairperson Pushpa Singh have been booked for allegedly assaulting BJP MLA Yogesh Verma, police said on Wednesday.

Two of Awadhesh Singh's associates Sangram Singh and Niraj Singh, and more than three dozen unidentified persons have also been booked in connection with the incident which took place during the process of filing nomination papers for Urban Cooperative Bank (UCB) board elections at its headquarters on October 9, according to police.

The FIR was lodged at the Kotwali station on Tuesday night under sections 189 (unlawful assembly), 115(2)(voluntarily causing hurt), 351(2)(criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), 131 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation) and 304(1)(snatching) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said.

Kheri kotwali police officials said an investigation into the matter was underway.

The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by the Lakhimpuri Kheri MLA. It was registered five days after the BJP suspended Awadhesh Singh and his associates, who were also members of the party.

In his complaint, Verma alleged that Awadhesh Singh and Pushpa Singh snatched nomination papers from Raju Agrawal, the district convenor of BJP Vyapar Mandal Cell, and manhandled him during the process of filing nomination papers for the UCB board elections on October 9. They also snatched his gold chain, the BJP MLA alleged.

Verma further alleged that Awadhesh Singh and his wife along with their 30 to 40 associates also snatched nomination papers from several other candidates.

He claimed that when he reached the spot to protest against what had happened, Awadhesh Singh assaulted him as well and his associates Sangram Singh and Niraj Singh hit him from behind, leaving him injured.

All this happened in the presence of police and administrative officials, and videos of the incident are available on social media, the complaint stated.

When contacted, Verma's mobile phone was switched off while calls to Awadhesh Singh went unanswered.

BJP state general secretary Govind Narayan Shukla had served a show-cause notice to Awadhesh Singh, Pushpa Singh, BJP district vice president Anil Yadav and BJP worker Jyoti Shukla, seeking an explanation from them for their misbehaviour with Verma.

On Sunday, the four were expelled from the BJP on charges of indiscipline.