Stopped by constable,BSP MLA slaps him

A BSP MLA who had announced a Rs 51 crore reward on the head of a Danish cartoonist in 2006.

A BSP MLA who had announced a Rs 51 crore reward on the head of a Danish cartoonist in 2006 and his men allegedly slapped a police constable and tore his uniform in Meerut in public on Thursday evening just because he had asked them to divert their cavalcade from the route of a procession. The constable had to be hospitalised.

In February 2006,the MLA,Haji Yakub Qureshi,had publicly announced a reward of Rs 51 crore for anyone who would behead the Danish cartoonist who made a caricature of Prophet Mohammad. He is also a history-sheeter.

Twenty-four hours later,the police had not even lodged an FIR in spite of protests. Reports say efforts were on to persuade constable Chahan Singh Balyan,56,to agree to a compromise.

Story continues below this ad

Asked why no action had been taken in spite of the attack and public humiliation of a government official on duty,Meerut DIG Jai Narain Singh said: SP (City) Prabal Pratap Singh is conducting an inquiry,a case will be registered after his report is received.

The DIG said the constable,who is a driver of a police patrol van and is posted with the Reserve Police Lines,was manhandled by the MLA and his men. He did not suffer any injury,but his uniform got torn,the DIG said.

Qureshi gave an entirely different account. The constable was drunk and was misbehaving with people. When I was passing by,the people complained to me. As I tried to talk to the constable,he misbehaved with me too, the MLA said. Qureshi said he did not manhandle the constable,but asked other policemen around to take him away. The allegation against me about beating up the constable is baseless, he said.

The constables son Deepak said his father was in shock ever since the MLA and his men manhandled him and tore his uniform. An officer visited our house around 1 in the night and told my father to make a compromise with the MLA, he said.

Story continues below this ad

Deepak said he was not aware of any inquiry being conducted into the matter.

According to Deepak,his father along with other policemen were deployed at Hapur Adda crossing in view of the Ravidas Jayanti procession. He stopped a fleet of vehicles and asked them to move away from the procession route when three men in the lead vehicle got down and started hurling abuses.

Other policemen gathered and told the men to behave.

Soon,the MLA got down from a Scorpio,walked up to the constable,caught him from the collar and slapped him on the face. The legislators men then manhandled the constable and tore his uniform. The other policemen,including Circle Officer of Civil Lines Satpal Singh,just watched. Later,the constable lodged a complaint with the CO.