Behenji146;s bhais

BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari, booked for his alleged involvement in PWD engineer M K Gupta8217;s murder, is not the only party leader with a criminal history.

BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari, booked for his alleged involvement in PWD engineer M K Gupta8217;s murder, is not the only party leader with a criminal history. A walk through the BSP8217;s hall of shame.

Although Mayawati has benevolently asserted time and again that her less-than-exemplary partymen have turned over a new leaf, many appear to have a penchant for proving her wrong. In the past year-and-a-half of the Mayawati Government in UP, several BSP leaders have been found to be involved in a spectrum of crimes, including murder, rape and kidnapping. Of them, two MLAs and an MP are still in jail. While Mayawati was forced to dismiss two of them 8212; ministers Anand Sen Yadav and Jamuna Prasad Nishad 8212; this did not deter her from admitting others with a criminal past, such as Arun Shankar Shukla, into her party. When asked why she did so, she stated that if someone wished to reform himself, he should be given a chance to do so. There was always jail for those who did not stick to the straight and narrow, she noted. A quick peek into Behenji8217;s 8220;reformatory8221;:

Umakant Yadav: The BSP MP from Machhlishahr has been in jail since May 30, 2007. He was arrested outside Mayawati8217;s residence after she alerted the police. In a bid to forcibly take over land in Palia Mafi village in Azamgarh district, Yadav and his supporters allegedly went on a rampage and demolished a number of shops and houses and vandalised others. Yadav, who says he was not present at the time of the incident, was suspended from the party for six years. His son, Dinesh Yadav, was also suspended from the party for his involvement in the incident. Circle Officer of Phoolpur, Shailendra Kumar Rai said the chargesheet has been filed in the case.

Anand Sen Yadav: The MLA was dismissed as the minister of state for food preservation and is currently in jail for his alleged role in the disappearance, and by all indications, murder, of a law student from Faizabad. The young woman, Shashi, went missing in October last year. Her father, a BSP worker, implicated Yadav in the case, alleging that Shashi and the minister had been close to each other. There is speculation that Shashi had been threatening to expose the relationship between herself and Yadav before she conveniently disappeared. Incidentally, Yadav was in jail in a murder case when the Mayawati Cabinet was inducted in May 2007 and had to take oath later. Investigating Officer DySp SC Pandey said the chargesheet has been filed and now the charges are to be framed.

Jamuna Prasad Nishad: The former fisheries minister was sacked in June after he and his supporters, protesting against the alleged mishandling of a rape case by the police, forced their way into the Maharajganj Kotwali police station and killed constable Krishnanand Rai. While Mayawati demanded that Nishad step down from her Cabinet, she maintained that there was no proof that he had committed the murder as he had at least 50 supporters with him and the gun went off in the melee. Investigating officer Inspector Ravi Chand Mishra says that the chargesheet against the MLA and 13 others has been filed. Nishad is in jail.

Bhagwan Sharma alias Guddu Pandit: The BSP MLA from Dibai was arrested after a research scholar in Agra University accused him of rape in June.

The case was registered at the Kasganj police station in Kashiram Nagar. Investigating officer Inspector, Dulare Lal Arun said that the medical report of the victim confirmed rape. The chargesheet has been filed.8221; Guddu Pandit is out on bail.

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Subash Dohre: This BSP leader and 11 others were booked for attacking policemen and attempting to release two criminals from a police lock-up in Kannauj on September 11. Dohre and his supporters also pelted stones on the police. SP of Kannauj Prakash Tripathi said, 8220;After the incident, the accused were arrested and sent to jail8221;.

Ram Raksha Pal : The BSP national secretary and in-charge of Jharkhand was arrested for killing a Dalit autorickshaw driver-cum-caterer Bhagwandas in Chuppepur village in Varanasi in May over a land dispute. Three relatives of the deceased were also injured in the firing. Acting in-charge of the Sagra police station Raj Kumar said all accused were out on bail. He said that the incident took place over a land dispute.

Arun Shankar Shukla alias Anna: Known to be a close ally of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav as well as a dreaded mafia don of Lucknow, Anna was inducted into the BSP just this month. Incidentally, he was one of the main accused in an attack on Mayawati at the state guest house in Lucknow on June 2, 1995. The case is currently under trial at the CBI Court in Lucknow. His candidature for the Lok Sabha ticket from Unnao constituency has formally been announced. Anna8217;s name has figured in over a dozen criminal cases in Lucknow since 1980.

Krishna Kumar Pandey alias Kakku: Although he was externed from Ambedkar Nagar district last month, Kakku was appointed in-charge of party affairs in the Ayodhya Vidhan Sabha constituency. He has 16 criminal cases against him, including murder and attempt to murder and has been booked under the Gangster Act twice.