SP MLA booked under SC/ST Act for assault on engineer

“Kumar has alleged that he was assaulted, abused and kept in illegal detention by Yadav and his supporters on Friday,” Sharma said. The FIR has been registered under IPC sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and section 310 of the SC/ST Act

Denying the allegations, he said he met Kumar only after he had been allegedly roughed up by some persons. “I had complained about the alleged corrupt practices to the top officials in the power department, including the CMD.”

Yadav said about a dozen villages had been protesting against the lack of power supply for some time now. “About two years ago, these villages were provided electricity connections under Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Samagra Gram Vikas Yojna. But for the past several months, these villages are only receiving electricity bills but no power. So on Friday, they protested at the office of the executive engineer,” Yadav said.

He said that being the local MLA, he went to the spot, but only after informing the police officials. “But before my arrival, some protesters had apparently misbehaved with Kumar. When I met him and took up the various allegations of corruption against his clerical staff and the poor services, he felt threatened and later levelled these false allegations against me.”

UP Power Officers Association (UPPOA), however, alleged that the case of “such assault” is not in isolation. “For the past two years, engineers from the ‘reserved’ category are being discriminated against and this was highlighted once again on Friday. The assault is not an isolated case and we have called a meeting on Monday to decide the future course of action over the increasing attacks,” said Avdhesh Kumar Verma, UPPOA’s working president.