Varanasi fears violence as don enters the ring

The CBI has been investigating the case against Ansari and his aides.

The sense of anxiety among the forces could be gauged from Varanasi Range Inspector General Gurdarshan Singh’s comment: “Brijesh Singh’s nephew Sushil Singh is a BSP legislator and Ansari,too,is a candidate from the same party.”

“We hope that the groups will not be indulging in any kind of gang war during the election. But we are ensuring tight security and taking precautionary measures to avoid violence,” he said. The SP is yet to declare their candidate from Varanasi. This could be because the seat is held by Rajesh Mishra of the Congress. The BJP has already fielded former national president Murli Manohar Joshi.

“Soon after Ansari was declared as the BSP candidate, his henchmen from Ghazipur,Mau,Azamgarh and Bihar shifted here and have started extorting money from the businessmen. They ask the traders to speak to Ansari over the phone and the mafia in-turn issues threats from behind the bars,” said Rajesh Mishra.

“The gun-totting criminals now move around the city with BSP flags fluttering atop their SUVs. This creates a sense of fear among the voters. Our party workers fear from being attacked by Ansari’s men during the campaign,” Mishra said. Similarly,BJP in-charge of Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency Devendra Singh Chauhan,too,fears that voters and workers of rival political parties are going to be threatened and there may be violence during the elections.

“The rivalry between Brijesh and Ansari is a known fact in Varanasi and the adjacent districts. With Brijesh lodged in Varanasi jail and Ansari managing his election from Ghazipur jail,the administration will face a major problem during the elections,” said Chauhan. On Sunday night, Brijesh Singh’s nephew Sushil and some others allegedly attacked a coalmine contractor Sudhir Singh. “Brijesh and his gang is after my life since they kidnapped my uncle from Dhanbad of Jharkhand nine years ago,” said Sudhir.

“Rajiv’s body is yet to be found. I had also lodged an FIR with the Delhi crime branch against Brijesh for demanding Rs 75 lakh in 2007,” he said. “We have initiated strict action against Sushil and his aides ,” said Vijay Bhushan,SP (City),Varanasi.