SP leader gets police notice over call to gherao Uttar Pradesh CM house, Assembly

According to police, Rana had called for the gherao of the state assembly and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s residence over Bihar CM Nitish Kumar removing the veil of a female doctor. The SP leader also took exception to state minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad’s support of Nitish Kumar.

According to the police, the proposed gherao and protest allegedly called by Rana could pose a serious threat to law and order and to the security of dignitaries.

The police stated that the proposed protest could attempt to disrupt the ongoing Assembly session and disturb peace and public order within the Lucknow Commissionerate. Over the past few days, Rana had allegedly been approaching the police to register a case against CM Nitish Kumar. Rana, the daughter of noted poet Munawwar Rana, is the Samajwadi Party’s national spokesperson and also serves as the party’s national vice-president of the Mahila wing.

When contacted, Rana said that a police team had come to her house on Saturday to serve the notice. “When I refused to accept it, the police sent it to me on WhatsApp,” she said.

Rana claimed that she had been seeking to lodge a case against Nitish Kumar and Sanjay Nishad. She alleged that despite submitting a written complaint, the police did not register an FIR. Rana said that two days ago, she went to the Lucknow Police Commissioner’s office to submit her complaint and had decided to go to the Chief Minister’s residence if she was unable to meet officials there. However, a police team arrived and stopped her from proceeding ahead, she added.

Rana said that on Saturday, the police issued the notice on the same day she visited the Commissioner’s office but was unable to meet the concerned officer. She added that since the police have not registered her complaint, she has decided to approach the court seeking directions for the registration of an FIR. The ACP could not be contacted for comment over the issue.