UP minister threatens protest demanding removal of SHO for filing 'false' case against BJP workers

Kanpur, Jul 25 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh minister Pratibha Shukla on Friday announced to resume sit-in protest at the Akbarpur police station if the SHO, Satish Singh, is not removed from his post at the earliest.

Interacting with reporters, the minister of state for women's welfare and child development threatened to resume dharna, a day after her five-hour long sit-in protest inside the police station accusing the SHO of registering a false and fabricated case under the SC/ST Act against local BJP workers.

“This is not justice – this is sabotage of someone's future for political gains. I have never filed a police complaint in the last 25 years. But today, it's a matter of respect. I want to know under whose pressure this case was filed," Shukla told reporters.

She also said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wants honesty, transparency, and fairness, but his directives are being ignored by some corrupt and biased officials.

The SHO was acting merely as a "rubber stamp", without exercising any independent judgment, she alleged, adding that he has no mind of his own which shows that someone else is directing his actions.

Shukla also claimed to have received calls from Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad, who personally assured her that the SHO would be "shunted out" and that they should wind-up the protest.

She also accused BJP MP from Akbarpur, Devendra Singh, of doing caste-based politics.

Shukla claimed to have personally briefed Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak about the incident, saying she did not receive any response from his end.

On Thursday, Shukla staged a dharna at the police station demanding action against the SHO for allegedly filing a false case under the SC/ST Act against BJP workers.

The protest, which lasted for five hours, prompted the removal of the local police outpost in-charge and a department inquiry against the SHO, officials said.

"This is not the previous Samajwadi Party regime. This is Yogi Adityanath's government, and false and fabricated cases against BJP workers will not be tolerated," Shukla said.

Despite repeated efforts by Circle Officer (Sikandara) Priya Singh to persuade the minister to end the dharna, including a request to speak to SP (Kanpur Dehat) Arvind Mishra, Shukla remained firm.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took potshots at Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, as he shared a video on X of the minister's purported video call with Shukla's husband, who expressed displeasure over the situation.

In a post on X, Yadav said without naming Pathak, "DCM sir, first focus on your own people and then give advice to others. Earlier, there was only one DCM (Keshav Maurya) who was reprimanded, now both are reprimanded." In another post, he took a dig at the Adityanath government, saying, "A state minister is staging a protest against her own police's actions. Does the chief minister want any more evidence?" According to officials, the controversy began after a road construction project was halted by local municipal councillor Shamshad Khan, prompting the minister's intervention.

On Tuesday, an FIR was filed against Khan by contractor Zahoor Ahmad, alleging extortion, criminal intimidation, and intentional insult.

On Thursday, Baburam Gautam, a resident of Madaripur Tasaddaq Ali village, filed a counter FIR accusing five individuals – Abrar, Yusuf, Aslam, Yasir, and Shiva Pandey – of criminal intimidation and intentional insult, and charges under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. PTI COR NAV ARI