Gayatri Prasad Prajapati's family demands more security for him in jail after attack

Lucknow, Oct 1 (PTI) In the wake of an attack on former minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, his family on Wednesday demanded an increase in his security and termed the assault on him part of a conspiracy.

Prajapati was attacked on Tuesday inside the Lucknow district jail, resulting in a "superficial head injury", police said.

He was seen wearing a bandage on his head as he left the hospital.

Prajapati told reporters he was attacked with a knife by Vishwas, a convicted inmate.

His daughter, Ankita Prajapati, said that her father has been in jail for the past eight years for a crime (rape) that he never committed.

"The medical of the accused (woman) was not done, and he (Gayatri Prajapati) was awarded a life sentence. We were not heard. We requested the Chief Minister to meet us and help. My father is innocent," she told reporters.

She alleged that her father's life is under threat and his security should be increased in jail.

Gayatri's wife, Maharaji Prajapati, who is an SP MLA from Amethi, said whatever happened in jail was a "conspiracy." "When even a needle could not reach inside, how did a knife land in jail? I demand the government do justice to my husband," she said.

Prajapati, who served as a minister in the Akhilesh Yadav-led Uttar Pradesh government, landed in the jail hospital with a wound after an altercation with a fellow inmate who had been assigned cleaning duties, police said.

"During the scuffle, the inmate allegedly struck Prajapati with a sliding part of a cupboard, causing 'superficial injury,'" an official statement said.

Prajapati has since recovered fully, it said.

Prajapati has been in judicial custody in connection with a few cases, including that of rape.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav demanded a judicial probe into the alleged attack on him.

In a post on X, he said, "There should be an impartial judicial inquiry into the deadly attack in jail on Gayatri Prajapati, a former MLA and minister in the Uttar Pradesh government. No one is safe anywhere in Uttar Pradesh." PTI ABN VN VN