Trucker escapes from UP minister’s torture chamber

“The cleaner is still in captivity of the minister while I somehow managed to sneak out after four days but could not dare to lodge an FIR because I had seen the influence of the minister. Policemen also roughed me up when I sought help while the minister was kicking me on the road,” said Vaikunth Nath Rai, a resident of Azamgarh.

Injury marks on his body, bloated left temple, bruised hand and swollen back were signs of the ordeal he had faced during four days of captivity.

The minister, who looks after the Khadi and Village Development department, claimed that there was no question of him or his staff beating the driver. “The driver himself said that he would get my car repaired and I took him to my house where he stayed for four days and I wonder how he has suddenly come out with these baseless allegations. I certainly will not persecute anyone for a paltry sum of Rs 10,000,” the minister told The Indian Express.

It is another matter that the truck is still inside the Estate Department Colony at Gomti Nagar where the minister stays while there was no trace of the cleaner.

Nightmare struck Vaikunth on the night of July 9 when he was transporting a consignment of chemicals from Haldia in West Bengal to Ghaziabad. The truck hit the personal car of the minister from the rear. The minister allegedly beat the driver and forcibly took him to his house along with the truck. “We were beaten mercilessly there by the minister himself, his son and also the security guards,” said the victim.

The minister claimed that injury marks on his body were inflicted by the crowd that gathered after he hit his car.

The issue has now assumed political overtones as the driver sought refuge in the office of the Samajwadi Party “apprehending” threat to his life. “The minister should immediately be sacked. UP has become even worse than Bihar. The Rabri (Devi) government at least expelled the minister there on similar charges,” Ram Sharan Das, the state SP chief said.

The truck is virtually in the custody of the minister while the local police said that it would act only if somebody lodged a complaint. “How can we act without any report? No FIR has so far been lodged,” said the SHO of Gomti Nagar.