Lucknownama

Catch 22 situation

Senior IAS officer Alok Ranjan was in a difficult situation during Nagpal’s suspension. Besides being the seniormost IAS officer in the state,Rajan is also president of UP IAS association. During Nagpal’s suspension,Rajan was serving as acting chief secretary. So,on on side,while he was asked to represent the association,on the other,he had to represent the government. The pressure increased when Cheif Secretary Jawed Usmani returned from leave,and there were reports the Central IAS association would meet Union Minister V Narayanasamy to raise the issue. Ranjan was asked to clarify that no member of UP IAS Association would meet the union minister.

Warning message

Ramgopal Yadav,Samajwadi Party general secretary,who termed Nagpal’s suspension as incorrect,promptly got a message from cousin Mulayam Singh Yadav. He was told to refrain from making statements,which created embarrassment for the party. So,when asked by reporters in Moradabad about the Nagpal issue,Ramgopal politely remarked: “I will not speak on this issue any more.”

Seeking blessings

Touching feet of politicians may be common,but it makes news when officials do it. The latest incident took place at Saifai when two officials reportedly touched the feet of PWD Minister Shivpal Yadav. The officials were ASP Rishipal Singh Yadav and City Magistrate Sharda Prasad Yadav. Asked,Rishipal said he had only bowed down to pick up his wrist watch,which had fallen,while Sharda Prasad claimed his spectacles had fallen down.

Worried man

Rajendra Choudhary,state spokesperson of the ruling Samajwadi Party,is a worried man. After former minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh was given a clean chit by CBI in the murder of DSP Zia-ul-Haque,and he subsequently met party president Mulayam Singh Yadav,speculation about his reinduction in the cabinet is gaining ground. Choudhary holds portfolios of Food and Civil Supplies and Prison,both of which were with Singh until he resigned after being named as an accused in the DSP’s murder. The talk is if rehabilitated,Raja Bhaiyya will get back these portfolios.

Taking a day off

While all political parties are gearing up for 2014 Lok Sabha elections,the Rashtriya Lok Dal office has started observing a weekly off on Sunday. The staff and party leaders stay at home. State party chief Munna Singh Chauhan goes to his native place Faizabad Saturday evening and returns Monday. Chauhan said like government employees,the party staff also needs a day to relax and spend time with family.

Under lens

Installation of 17 CCTV cameras for security at the state BJP headquarters is having unintended consequences. With senior leaders keeping an eye,those leaders and workers who used to simply while away their time at the party office,without ever visiting their districts for party activities,have now stopped coming.

Siddiqui quits Cong,re-joins SP

Fakir Siddiqui,who had contested elections from Lucknow Central on Congress ticket in 2012 elections,joined the Samajwadi Party on Sunday. Siddiqui had sent his resignation to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on July 29,alleging that the party had failed to meet the needs of common man. Siddiqui,who had lost to Samajwadi Party’s Ravidas Mehrotra in the Assembly elections,said that his decision to join the SP was influenced by CM Akhilesh Yadav’s steps for the benefit of the minorities and the poor. Prison,Food and Civil Supplies Minister,Rajendra Chaudhary,SP spokesman,termed Siddiqui’s joining as homecoming and said that his return would strengthen the party.

The Bulandshahr Police have registered an FIR against three persons,including two police constables,for allegedly kidnapping and raping a 20-year-old girl in Bulandshahr’s Kotwali area Saturday morning. The girl alleged the three kidnapped her from her house on gunpoint and took her to their place and raped her. The girl has identified the three as constable Kapil,neighbour Praveen and another unidentified constable,in the FIR lodged at Kotwali police station. No arrests have been made yet. Police said they are awaiting reports of medical examination and are planning to send her clothes for DNA test. Bulandshahr Senior SP Nitin Tiwari said they will record the girl’s statement before a magistrate. The girl,who works in a private firm,lives in Kotawali area along with her mother.

1 trainee S-I held,another absconding in robbery case

The Gonda police Sunday arrested two persons,including a trainee sub-inspector,in connection with a robbery,which took place in Nawabganj locality on July 24,police said.

“While trainee S-I Dharmendra Kumar Yadav has been arrested,another trainee S-I,Kuldeep Tripathi,is absconding. Raids are being conducted to trace him,” police said.

Gonda SP RPS Yadav said both trainee S-Is —- both residents of Gorakhpur and attached with prosecution office —- have been suspended and departmental proceedings against them started.

The other person arrested in the case has been identified as Manoj Kumar Dixit,a resident of Gonda’s Kernalganj locality. The police have seized his car and claimed to have recovered looted jewellery from arrested persons.

Banke Bihari Singh,Station Officer of Nawabganj,said Lalbabu Soni,a shop owner,had filed an FIR alleging that men in police uniform had robbed him of jewellery worth Rs 70,000 while he was on way to home from market.

Soni alleged that the men stopped his motorcycle at Parashuram Road on the pretext of checking the vehicle’s papers. They then forcibly took his bag containing the jewellery and decamped in a car parked nearby.

The SO said Soni had provided the registration number of the car in which the men had escaped. During investigation,police found the car registered in the name of Manoj Kumar,who was later arrested. During questioning,he confessed and informed about the involvement of Tripathi and Yadav. Yadav was arrested from Gonda’s Kotwali area.