Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party on Sunday wrote to the Uttar Pradesh Election Commission after the local police allegedly put a few senior leaders in Kannauj under house arrest.
Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s wife, Dimple Yadav, is contesting on a party ticket from Kannauj, which goes to polls in the fourth phase on April 29.
SP state chief Naresh Uttam Patel wrote to the state poll panel in connection with the incident, which came to light after pictures of police personnel camping outside senior leaders went viral on social media. According to sources, more than a dozen leaders were put under “house arrest”, which prevented them from carrying out any form of political activity.
SP’s Anil Arya alleged that the party’s leaders were being harassed by local police at the behest of the BJP government.
“Not even one BJP leader has been put under house arrest, but our leaders are being stopped by the police and have been trapped inside their houses,” he said.
Similar allegations were made by another SP leader, Tehseen Siddiqui. “This is blatant misuse of power and democracy is being murdered by such acts,” he said.
However, the police have maintained silence over the episode. Kannauj Superintendent of Police Amrendra Pratap Singh refused to comment.
Meanwhile, Additional CEO BD Tiwari has taken cognizance of the issue and has asked for a report from the Kannauj District Magistrate.
SP national spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said, “We have been getting reports from Kannauj, Kanpur dehat, Auraiyya and adjoining areas that SP leaders, village heads, BDC and zila panchayat chiefs are being harassed and are asked to get voting done in favour of BJP.”
Chaudhary claimed that Patel in his letter to the state election commission mentioned an incident in which the officer in charge of Mangalpur police post in Rasoolabad allegedly harassed SP supporters and is working for BJP candidate. He claimed that officers in charge of Gursahayganj Kotwali in Chibbramau and Saurik Police Station in Tirwa were acting against SP workers at the behest of BJP government.
“The role of IG Kanpur Zone is also dubious in the entire incident. The EC must take stern action so that polls could be conducted in a fair and free environment," he added.
Kannauj, considered an SP bastion, was recently in the news when PM Narendra Modi held a rally in support of the BJP candidate on Saturday. Akhilesh Yadav and Dimple Yadav also held a grand roadshow on the last day of campaigning here.
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