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Two men were killed after their motorcycle was hit by an SUV allegedly belonging to BJP MLA Yogesh Verma in Lakhimpur Kheri district on Sunday night, police said. The deceased Ravi Verma (26) and Vikram Verma (22) were cousins.
Local residents told the police that the MLA was returning home in the SUV when the accident took place.
“The SUV belonged to BJP MLA Yogesh Verma. The four-wheeler was seized and its driver Muninder Kumar, who is a local resident, was arrested,” said Chandra Shekhar, Station House Officer of Kotwali police station. Yogesh Verma represents Lakhimpur Kheri Sadar assembly constituency.
“The victims were on their way to attend a wedding when the SUV, which came from the opposite direction, hit their motorcycle near Pankipur petrol pump on the Kheri-Bahraich highway on Sunday night,” the police said.
During preliminary investigation it came to light that Ravi and Vikram were travelling on the wrong side of the road, they added. “After the accident, the two men were rushed to the hospital but were declared brought dead. The bodies have been sent for postmortem. Both Ravi and Vikram used to do odd jobs for a living,” said the police.
Ravi is survived by a wife and a child, they added.
Despite repeated calls, BJP MLA Yogesh Verma could not be contacted for a comment.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav raised questions over the law and order situation in the state.
“Two brothers died after being crushed by a car belonging to a BJP MLA in Lakhimpur Kheri,” he alleged. “The BJP is continuing with impunity the process of mowing down people with its double-engine powered vehicle,” Yadav said in a party statement in Hindi.
It also referred to recent cases of crime in the state, claiming that law and order was in a poor state in Uttar Pradesh.
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