BJP MLC seeks action against woman cop
GORAKHPUR: A day after a video showing BJP candidate Upendra Datt Shukla having a heated argument with woman IPS officer Charu Nigam over ‘not letting’ his voters exercise their franchise at a booth in Sahjanwa went viral, BJP MLC Devendra Pratap Singh on Monday wrote to the Election Commission seeking action against the ASP.
“The woman cop (Nigam) rushed to the booth two times with heavy force comprising 100200 policemen and misbehaved with voters, checked them, and even beat them with ‘lathis’ which created an atmosphere of terror and people returned home without casting votes. A senior officer should not indulge in such act of terror,” Singh alleged over the phone.
“I have complained to the EC, seeking her removal on this ground,” he added.
The MLC said snags in EVMs and the alleged terror unleashed by police were two main reasons for low turnout in Gorakhpur Lok Sabha by-poll.
He claimed he received complaints of 100 booths, mostly in rural areas, where polling was halted for more than two hours after EVMs developed snag there.
Repeated calls made to Charu Nigam, a 2013 batch IPS officer, for her comment on the allegations went unanswered.
A call made to BJP candidate Upendra Shukla was also not received.
However, SSP Satyarth Aniruddha Pankaj claimed that no police force was used.
“Devendra Pratap Singh, who has made the complaint, didn’t
even visit that area. We reject these allegations.
A joint report submitted by the ADM and the SP rural also says that no force was used nor there was any video or evidence to back these charges. Even the viral video doesn’t show BJP candidate making such allegation,” the SSP said.
The video shows BJP candidate Upendra Datt Shukla arriving at the booth in an SUV and walking up to Charu shouting, “Tell me what personal enmity do you have with me? What sort of revenge are you taking? My 350 voters were not allowed to cast their votes.”
“I have been a regional president of national party for three consecutive terms and we are the people who abide by law. I have just made the complaint that you didn’t let my voters to vote,” Shukla was shown saying in the video.
Charu, who had reached the booth after receiving the complaint of bogus voting, appeared calm as Upendra had a heated argument with her as she clarified the situation.
“You are levelling wrong accusation against me. Don’t talk like this and don’t show me finger. I am here just to ensure law and order. I have not even gone inside the booth .The sector magistrate has the responsibility to ensure that people vote,” said the IPS officer as her colleagues tried to make clear that the cops themselves asked people to exercise their franchise.
In May last year, Charu Nigam had courted controversy when a video showed her breaking down after a heated argument with BJP MLA Radha Mohan Das Aggarwal.