BSP MLA, wife booked for NIC engineer’s murder

The 28-year-old had allegedly paid Rs 3.5 lakh to MLA’s wife for job; was on way to demand it back.

A 28 year old engineer was allegedly murdered by BSP MLA and his wife.

A 28-year-old engineer working with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in Uttar Pradesh Bahraich’s district was found murdered Tuesday after which the police booked BSP’s Bansgaon MLA Vijay Kumar and his wife Mridula Anand based on a complaint by the victim’s father.

The body of Shikhar Srivastava, bearing injury marks marks by sharp edged weapons, was found at a secluded place in Badaosarai area of Barabanki district, the police said, adding that a villager was first to inform the police control room.

Shikhar’s father Dinesh Chandra Srivastava, who is also the vice-president of Congress’s Bahraich district unit, said his son had been working with the NIC for last one-and-a-half-years. In a complaint lodged with the police, he alleged that Shikhar had given Rs 3.50 lakh to the Bansgaon MLA Vijay Kumar’s wife Mridula Anand after the latter promised him a better job in the Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Department, where she is also employed. However, she failed to fulfil her promise, he alleged.

“Mridula was posted in Bahraich when Shikhar had got in touch with her through a common acquaintance. We had good relationship with the Kumar and his wife so Shikhar had given her the money after she assured to get him a job,” Srivastava said.

He claimed that Mridula had called Shikhar to her house in Lucknow’s Nishatganj area to return the money. “On Monday, he left Bahraich saying that he was going to meet her. We could not get in touch with him after 6 pm. He was abducted by the MLA and his wife and later murdered,” the father told the police.

“My nephew and my younger son, who live in Lucknow, went to both the MLA’s official residence and also to his wife’s official residence on Monday night. The MLA’s gunner first refused to tell anything but later said that Kumar and his wife had gone to Gorakhpur. A complaint was given to the Mahanagar police station in the night but the police could not find him. My family kept searching for him whole night,” the father said.

An FIR has been lodged at Badosarai police station under relevant IPC sections including 302 (murder) and 364 (abducting in order to murder). SP Barabanki Abdul Hamid said the postmortem examination has been conducted and its report is awaited. He said prima facie it appears that Srivastava was assaulted leading to severe injuries. “Ee are investigating the case,” he said.

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MLA Vijay Kumar, who had also contested last year’s Lok Sabha elections from Bahraich constituency, could not be reached for comments despite several attempts.

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