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Lakhimpur Kheri: Lakhimpur Kheri bar association president Awadhesh Singh and his wife and former Urban Cooperative Bank chairperson Pushpa Singh have been booked for allegedly assaulting BJP MLA Yogesh Verma, police said on Wednesday.
Awadhesh Singh's associates Sangram Singh and Niraj Singh, and more than three dozen unidentified people have also been booked in connection with the incident which allegedly took place during the process of filing nomination papers for the Urban Cooperative Bank board elections at its headquarters on October 9, they said.
The FIR was lodged at the Kotwali station on Tuesday night under sections 189 (unlawful assembly), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), 131 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation) and 304(1)(snatching) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said.
Kheri Kotwali police officials said an investigation was underway.
The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by the Lakhimpuri Kheri MLA. It was registered five days after the BJP suspended Awadhesh Singh and his associates, who were also members of the party.
In his complaint, Verma alleged that Awadhesh Singh and Pushpa Singh snatched nomination papers from Raju Agrawal, the district convenor of the BJP Vyapar Mandal Cell, and manhandled him. He also accused them of snatching his gold chain.
Verma further claimed that Awadhesh Singh and his wife, along with their 30 to 40 associates, snatched nomination papers from several other candidates.
He added that when he reached the spot to protest against what had happened, Awadhesh Singh assaulted him as well, and his associates Sangram Singh and Niraj Singh hit him from behind, leaving him injured.
All this happened in the presence of police and administrative officials, and videos of the incident are available on social media, the complaint stated.
When contacted by PTI, Verma said: "I thank Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath because the FIR could be registered only after his instructions." The lawmaker also thanked state BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary and the party organisation "for standing by him", and added he "would abide by the instructions of the party".
Awadhesh Singh could not be immediately contacted for a response.
BJP state general secretary Govind Narayan Shukla had earlier served a show-cause notice to Awadhesh Singh, Pushpa Singh, BJP district vice president Anil Yadav and BJP worker Jyoti Shukla, seeking an explanation from them for their misbehaviour with Verma.
On Sunday, the four were expelled from the BJP on charges of indiscipline.