In Amethi, SP MLA, his supporters beat BJP candidate’s husband in police station premises

The victim, Deepak Singh, BJP candidate Rashmi Singh’s wife, alleged that both Singh and his brother, Umesh Pratap, whipped out pistols and threatened him.

“When I got out of the car (at the police station), Rakesh Pratap and his associates suddenly attacked me,” Deepak said. “The MLA also took out a pistol and threatened to kill me.”

Admitting that he took out his pistol, Rakesh Pratap said he did it out of sheer frustration after police failed to act on his complaint against Deepak that the latter had assaulted his supporters and family members, and allegedly abused him in the police station on Wednesday morning.

A video that has emerged of the incident shows Singh and his supporters allegedly beating Deepak Singh, as police personnel present struggled to restrain him.

The Indian Express has not confirmed the authenticity of the video.

Amethi police have lodged an FIR naming 12 people, and an unidentified person, at Gauriganj police station on a complaint by Deepak Singh, who has had multiple cases registered against him in the past. The MLA and some of his family members, including brothers Umesh and Dinesh and nephew Arunendra Pratap Singh, have been named in the FIR. They have been booked under IPC Sections 147 (rioting), 352 (punishment for assault or criminal force), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 506 (criminal intimidation), among others.

No one has been arrested so far, SHO (Gauriganj) Akhand Dev Mishra said.

Amethi Superintendent of Police Elamaran G said Rakesh Pratap and his supporters did not file any police complaint and confirmed that Deepak is a history-sheeter.

Deepak claimed that there is no heinous case against him. “Cases were lodged against me when I was with Rakesh Pratap (many years ago). In the last six years, after I distanced myself, no case has been lodged against me.”

He said only four cases of non-cognisable offence are pending against him now.

Emphasising that Deepak is a “history-sheeter”, Singh said, “I parted ways with Deepak Singh after he started getting involved in crime.”

The Samajwadi Party MLA alleged that Deepak Singh and his associates had manhandled his supporters and some family members, and after police failed to register a case in the matter, he sat on a dharna along with three others inside the police station on Tuesday evening. He alleged that one of his associates that the BJP candidate’s spouse and his men had assaulted was his officer manager, Deepak Ojha.

“On Wednesday morning, I was with Ojha inside the police station, checking about his injuries, when Deepak Singh arrived in his vehicle and started abusing me,” the MLA claimed. “Irked over this, I caught hold of him and thrashed him…. I was so frustrated with the events that I took out my pistol and in front of everyone, including policemen, I said that if my family members are attacked (again), I will shoot myself with the pistol.”

Rakesh Pratap subsequently withdrew his dharna.

Denying the allegations, Deepak said, “My wife is contesting the election and this has made the MLA worried. He is making false allegations against me.”