Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav was on Thursday detained by the police in Unnao while he was on his way to Auraiya where a clash had occurred between the police and SP workers on Wednesday during the filing of nomination papers for the by-election for the post of zila panchayat chairperson. Akhilesh was released later in the afternoon, after which he told reporters that the SP will continue to go among the people. He was going to meet party leader and former MLA Pradeep Yadav who was arrested in Auraiya on Wednesday. Police had arrested Pradeep Yadav after SP workers clashed with the police near the district magistrate's office during the process of filing of nomination papers by the candidates for the election to the post of zila panchayat chairperson. Auraiya City Circle Offier Bashkar Verma said the clash started after SP workers targeted vehicles, including one of a BJP MLA's brother. Auraiya District Magistrate Jai Prakash Sagar said two candidates filed their nomination papers for the by-election. He said the clash started after the supporters of candidates gathered outside quarreled with each other. The by-election is slated to be held on August 22. Unnao Additional SP Ashtabhuja Singh said Akhilesh and his supporters were detained under section 151 of CrPC and kept at Virendra Kumar Singh Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Hasanganj area of the district. “He was on his way to Auraiya when he was detained. He was released on a personal bond and left for Lucknow,” said Singh. The incidents of roadblocks, arson and ransacking of vehicles have been reported from Kanpur and Allahabad districts as the SP workers came out on the streets to protest against the detention of Akhilesh. SP state president Naresh Uttam, MLA Amitabh Bajpayee and several other party workers were also detained in Kanpur. In Lucknow, about a dozen SP workers staged a sit-in at the gate of secretariat building that houses Chief Minister's Office where they tried to block the entry before being removed from there by the police. Addressing a press conference at SP office in Lucknow on August 10, Akhilesh had alleged that SP leaders, who are members of Auraiya zila panchayat, have been “implicated” in cases of murder and rape in order to help a BJP leader in the by-election for the post of zila panchayat chairperson. He had also presented five party leaders, Rajvir Singh, Prashant Pal, Shiv Singh Pal, Sudhir Kumar and Ravi Rajput, whose wife Neelam is zila panchayat member, saying the five were being “hounded by the police”. A no-confidence motion was passed against Rajvir, who was chairperson of zila panchayat, in July allegedly at the behest of BJP leader Deepu Singh who is now BJP-supported candidate for the post of zila panchayat chairperson in the by-election. SP-supported candidate in the by-election is Sudhir Kumar alias Kallu, who filed his nomination papers on Wednesday.
