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MLA Raja Bhaiya’s father to now remain under house arrest till Aug 9
Administration officials said the decision has been taken to ensure that Moharram passes off peacefully. Notices of house arrest have also been pasted at the homes of 10 of his associates and close relatives
Duration of house arrest of Kunda MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiyya’s father Uday Pratap Singh has been extended till the night of August 9—the 10th day of Moharram.
Uday Pratap Singh, who was protesting at Kunda tehsil office in Pratapgarh against a temporary gate put up in the area by Muslims during Moharram, was put under house arrest by the district administration on August 5 till 5pm on August 7 at first. But after a review of the initial order on Sunday, the period of house arrest was extended till August 9, informed district administration officials.
Confirming the development, SDM (Kunda) Satish Chandra Tripathi said that the period of house arrest of Uday Pratap Singh has been extended till 9pm on August 9. “The decision has been taken to ensure that Moharram passes off peacefully. Notices of house arrest have also been pasted at the homes of 10 of his associates and close relatives,” he said.
Uday Pratap Singh’s associates and kin who have been placed under house arrest till August 9 night include his two legal advisors Hanuman Prasad Pandey and Kesarinandan Pandey besides Bhavani Vishwakarma, Anand Pal, Jitendra Singh, Ravi Singh, Nirbhay Singh and Ramakant Mishra among others, officials said.
Uday Pratap, 89, was placed under house arrest when on August 5 he went to Bhadri Kothi for daily ablutions and worship.
A large number of policemen have been deployed at the gates of his house by the district officials.
As the news of the house arrest had spread among his supporters, they had started protesting the move. A faction of traders had even downed shutters of their shops as a mark of protest including those in Kunda Nagar area. The traders had also raised slogans against the police after closing the markets.
The police and the district administration officials had claimed that there was no other way but to place Uday Pratap Singh under house arrest to avoid confrontation during the sensitive period of Moharram.
To recall, erstwhile king of Bhadri estate of Pratapgarh Raja Uday Pratap Singh had started a sit-in at Kunda Tehsil on August 3 morning demanding removal of a temporary gate that has been erected during Moharram by Muslims.
The taziadars have erected this temporary gate on the road linking Sheikhpur Ashiq village and Prayagraj-Lucknow highway, a practice that the district police officials claim is an annual ritual for past many years.
Earlier, the condition of Uday Pratap had deteriorated on August 3 during the sit-in as the octogenarian refused to take food and medicines. A team from Kunda’s community health centre examined him and his blood pressure was found lower than normal. After much persuasion by officials, he took food and medicines but refused to end his stir.
