Days before he withdrew nomination, attempt to murder charge was added against Congress Indore candidate in 17 year old case

On April 29, Madhya Pradesh Cabinet minister and BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya announced that Bam had withdrawn his nomination and joined their party.

Indore votes on May 13 in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

The Indore district court of Nidhi Nilesh Srivastava, Judicial Magistrate (First Class), has directed Bam and his father to be present in the court on May 10, the next date of hearing.

Kailash Vijayvargiya shares an image with Akshay Kanti Bam, who was the Congress’s candidate from Indore (X/KailashOnline)

According to court records, the incident dates back to October 4, 2007 when Bam, his father Kantilal, security agency owner Satveer Singh and two others “entered the agricultural land owned” by one Yunus Khan, “assaulted his servants, and set fire to the soybean crop”.

Khan, in his statement to police on October 16, 2007, alleged Kantilal instigated Satveer to open fire on him. Khan’s neighbour Usman reiterated the allegation.

The prosecution had submitted to the court that the accused “are very influential, wealthy and resourceful”.

“Satveer Singh runs a security agency and was involved in illegal land grabbing activities. Accused Kantilal and his son Akshay, taking advantage of the complainant’s ignorance, illiteracy and rural background, got various sale deeds executed in their favour to grab the complainant’s land,” the prosecutor said.

An FIR was registered under IPC sections including 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance).

The chargesheet was filed on February 24, 2014. During the trial, Satveer passed away and another accused, Sohan, was declared an absconder.

Bam’s family filed a counter-complaint against Yunus under sections of dacoity, but the court dropped the charge due to lack of evidence. In 2022, Yunus filed an application before the court to engage another lawyer to assist the prosecution. Bam’s lawyers argued that all these years, the complainant “did not take any action regarding the case” and was pursuing it now for the “purpose of harassment”. The court, however, allowed the complainant’s plea.

Yunus, in his statement to police, alleged that while returning to his field, Bam, Kantilal, Satveer and other armed men intercepted him. Kantilal, he alleged, said, “This is Yunus, shoot him.”

“Satveer Singh opened fire, but my associate grabbed my hand and pulled me, due to which the bullet missed me,” Yunus said in his statement.

The police had seized a “12 bore gun and one cartridge (which was fired) from the spot”.

In its order this April 24, the court noted that Satveer fired at the complainant and said, “If the gunshot fired by the accused had killed Yunus, a case of murder could have been registered against them. Hence, in the circumstances of the case, the offence under section 307 IPC is prima facie made out against the accused.”

In his election affidavit, Bam had disclosed that there were two other cases pending against him. The first FIR was registered in 2018 in connection with a rash driving case, and Bam was not named in it. Charges have been framed in this case, but the order has not been uploaded.

In the second case, in 2022, a private complaint was registered against Bam in another land dispute case being heard by a court in Indore. Charges have not been framed in this case.

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Bam filed his nomination from the Congress on April 23, and was charged under section of attempt to murder in a land dispute case on April 24. On April 29, Madhya Pradesh Cabinet minister and BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya announced that Bam had joined the party, after withdrawing his nomination.