UP: Apna Dal (S) MLA’s strike against Siddharthnagar SP enters day 6, vows to soldier on
New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) Apna Dal (S) MLA Vinay Verma’s indefinite strike against the alleged police corruption and bias, accusing officials of protecting criminals and mishandling cases entered the sixth day on Sunday.
The protest, which started on Tuesday, is being held in front of the Siddharthnagar Municipal Council near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. Verma claims that despite assurances from the District Magistrate that action would be taken, no steps have been made to address his concerns.
“I had discussed the situation with the District Magistrate, who assured me that he would look into the matter, but no action has been taken,” Verma told IANS.
The Apna Dal (S) MLA had earlier lodged complaints with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath regarding the behaviour of Superintendent of Police (SP) Prachi Singh and declared his protest would only end with the transfer of SP Prachi Singh.
Verma accused the police of giving preferential treatment to those who bribe them, stating, “If an MLA and someone willing to bribe police officials visit a station, the officers will only listen to the one with an envelope.”
He added that despite assurances from the BJP district and state presidents, who said they would escalate the matter to the Chief Minister, no solution has been reached.
As his protest enters its sixth day, Verma remains firm in his resolve: “I am willing to sit on a silent protest until the ‘captain’ (SP Prachi Singh) is removed. I will stay here as long as the government is in power. I stand with the people who voted for me and will continue to fight for them.”
Discussions between Verma and district and state authorities have failed to resolve the issue, which prompted the MLA to begin his protest on Tuesday.
He had previously written to the Speaker of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly and other high-ranking officials, detailing his allegations against SP Prachi Singh.
Verma accused the SP of instructing police officers at Dhebarua and Shohratgarh stations to discriminate against him and disregard his concerns.
He also highlighted an incident in which a tractor-trolley overturned during illegal soil mining in his Shohratgarh constituency, leading to the death of the driver due to a fire.
Verma claimed that the Dhebarua police station in-charge was shielding certain individuals involved in the investigation.
Furthermore, Verma claimed that the Shohratgarh police station in-charge had misbehaved with him while he was advocating for local residents and had provided protection to drug mafias in the town.
Outraged by these incidents and the lack of justice for the local community, Verma is determined to continue his indefinite protest.
“I will not end my fast until SP Prachi Singh is transferred,” he reiterated, expressing his deep frustration with the failure of the authorities to address his complaints.
Despite having previously met with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath regarding his grievances, Verma insists that his protest will persist until his demands are met.
— IANS
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