UP engineer goes into hiding after MLA’s threat

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati ordered a high-level probe on Sunday into the resignation of a state public works department executive engineer who quit after a BSP legislator allegedly threatened to kill him. Engineer Shiv Das, who quit on Saturday, has now gone underground.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati ordered a high-level probe on Sunday into the resignation of a state public works department executive engineer who quit after a BSP legislator allegedly threatened to kill him. Engineer Shiv Das, who quit on Saturday, has now gone underground.

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The enquiry into the allegations levelled by Das has been entrusted to state Principal Secretary (Irrigation) K S Atoriya, a spokesperson said. In his resignation addressed to Mayawati, Das alleged that BSP legislator B R Ambedkar, who represents Lakhna assembly constituency, had threatened to kill him if he failed to meet his extortionist demands.

The legislator was also alleged to have warned the officer that he would meet the same fate as Manoj Kumar Gupta, an executive engineer of the public works department who was allegedly beaten to death by a BSP legislator and his goons in Auraiyya district in 2008.

Speaking to HT from an undisclosed location, Das, who did not attend his son’s wedding, fearing for his life, said he was now being forced to withdraw his resignation. “I want the government to take action against the MLA,” he said.