Uttar Pradesh: Ahead of the polls in Uttar Pradesh, over a dozen incidents of convoys of BJP contestants being shown black flags or having mud thrown at them have been reported from villages in the western area of the state.
One incident was reported on January 24, when BJP Siwalkhas candidate Maninderpal Singh came under attack at Chur village. An FIR was later lodged which names 20 people, with 65 listed as unidentified. While Singh did not register a complaint, police filed the FIR on its own on Thursday, The Indian Express reported.
“I have not lodged a complaint though seven cars following me were damaged in stone-pelting. Ye humare hi log hain, maine unhein maaf kar diya. Loktantra mein vote maangnewalon se aisi ghatna nahin honi chahiye (These are our own people, and I forgive them. But such incidents should not happen to those seeking votes in a democracy),” the news report quoted Singh as saying.
The police FIR says the men who pelted stones were carrying Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) flags and were being identified. “We are identifying them through available video footage and will take action,” said Lakshman Verma, the in-charge of Sardhana Police Station.
However, a senior RLD leader, Rajkumar Sangwaan, rubbished the allegations stating “How one can attack when he is carrying the flag of his party?”.
While the BJP had swept western UP in the 2017 elections, it is facing a difficult fight this time, due to the lingering anger over the contentious farm laws that were repealed by the Modi government after year-long protests.
The BJP contestant from Chaprauli in Baghpat, Sahendra Ramala, was shown black flags at Daha village on Friday, and later the same day, was not allowed to enter Nirupada village.
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