Bahraich violence: BJP MLA lodges case against own party’s city chief, others

BJP MLA Sureshwar Singh files a case against eight, including party chief Arpit Srivastava, for violence and attempted murder after Bahraich riots.

Sureshwar Singh, the BJP MLA from Bahraich’s Mahasi, has lodged a case against eight named persons, including his own party’s city unit chief Arpit Srivastava, and mob accusing them of serious offences, including stone-pelting and attempt to murder, in the aftermath of the killing of Ram Gopal Mishra, 22, during the Bahraich violence on October 13.

A 22-year-old youth was killed during the Bahraich violence on October 13. (HT file)

Kotwali police registered the case under sections 191(2) (rioting), 191(3) (armed with deadly weapon), 3(5) (criminal act by multiple persons with common intention), 109(1) (attempt to murder) 125 (endangering life or personal safety), 324 (2) (mischief), 351 (3) (threat to cause death or grievous hurt) and 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on October 18.

In his complaint, the MLA claimed that on October 13, a crowd was protesting by keeping the body of the deceased in front of Bahraich Medical College. “I reached the spot along with my bodyguards and other colleagues and then visited the office of the CMO Bahraich. The DM, the city magistrate and the CMO were present there. I took them along and reached the spot where the body of the deceased was kept,” Singh said in his complaint.

“After talking to the family of the deceased and other villagers, we were going to the mortuary with Mishra’s body when some miscreants, including Arpit Srivastava, Anuj Singh Raikwar, Shubham Mishra, Kushmendra Chaudhary, Manish Chandra Shukla, Pundrik Pandey, Sudhanshu Singh Rana and hundreds of others started shouting slogans using abusive language,” the MLA alleged.

He further claimed that they somehow took the body to the mortuary when people allegedly started creating a ruckus. “As soon as we came out of the mortuary and went out of the gate and our car was turning, the mob started throwing stones and bricks with the intention of stopping the car and killing the remaining people,” Singh further alleged.

“At the same time, a fire was also shot from the crowd, in which my son Akhand Pratap Singh narrowly escaped. The entire incident took place between 8 and 10pm,” the MLA alleged.