Prayagraj murder: Victim’s widow claims threat to life
In a shocking development, a video clip posted on social media indicates that the victim was friendly with one of the sons of former MP Atiq Ahmad, who is an accused in the murder.
In connection with the violence on April 2 during the Bharat Bandh called by Dalit organisations, police have submitted charge sheet against BSP leader and former MLA Yogesh Verma and 89 others.
Yogesh Verma, who is the husband of Mayor Sunita Verma, was arrested on April 2 for instigating violence during the bandh to oppose the decision of the Supreme Court on SC /ST Act. Now, finally, police have submitted the charge sheet against Verma and 89 others.
Confirming this, Circle Officer of Daurala area and Special Investigation Team head (SIT) Pankaj Singh said that the charge sheet against Yogesh Verma and 89 others has been filed in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate.
Large-scale violence was reported on April 2 in different parts of western UP during which a police post was torched in Shobhapur area of the city. Besides many vehicles were also set ablaze by the mob that also resorted to stone-pelting. Police have to lathi charge and fire in the air to control the situation in which a demonstrator Ankur died of bullet injury.
Police had registered 98 cases of violence and rioting against over 700 identified and 5,000 unidentified persons at different police stations of the district. Also, 198 accused, including Yogesh Verma, were arrested and sent to jail.
Kankerkhera SHO Deepak Sharma, Sub Inspector Devendra Kumar and Jitendra Kumar had lodged a complaint against Verma and others on charges of arson, creating obstacles in discharging government duties, rioting, firing on police, damage to government property, threatening, and giving provocative speeches.
CO Singh said that Verma had a history-sheet no 143-A in Daurala police station but somehow police stopped its monitoring. The history-sheet has been reopened now by Pallavpuram police station.
On April 2, SSP Manzil Saini had called him the mastermind of the violence in Meerut and said that all accused arrested would be booked under the National Security Act.
His wife and Mayor Sunita Verma, however, called the action against her husband politically motivated. She said that her husband has been falsely implicated due to political vengeance. Sunita had won the election of the mayor by defeating BJP’s Kanta Kardam. “My husband was being targeted because BJP lost the mayoral election,” she had said.
According to her, police and administrative officials called him on the day of violence to seek his help in controlling violence, but arrested him instead.
Yogesh Verma is an aspirant for the BSP ticket from Meerut Lok Sabha seat in the next elections in 2019.
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