Farmers’ leader lodges FIR against ex-MP

LUCKNOW: National president of a local association of farmers lodged an FIR against mafioso-turned-politician and former MP Dhananjay Singh at Janakipuram police station here on Saturday for issuing threat and demanding ₹50 lakh extortion money .

Singh, however, met district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma and handed him a letter refuting the allegations and calling the complaint a plot of his political rivals to malign his image. He said he had been intentionally targeted by his rivals as he had filed a petition for his security cover in court and hearing was on November 16.

Additional superintendent of police, Trans-Gomti, Harendra Kumar said the national president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Awadh) Raja Ram Gupta alias Raju Gupta had lodged an FIR against the former MP accusing him of issuing threat for making complaints against his aides. He said the former MP also allegedly asked him to pay ₹ 50 lakh extortion money as compensation in lieu of losses caused due to complaints against his aides.

He said the FIR was lodged under charges of extortion, issuing threat, forgery and cheating against the former MP and further investigation was on.

Talking to HT on phone, Gupta said he received calls from the former MP at least four times on October 13, 18 and 19, threatening him and demanding extortion money.

He said the former MP’s aides barged into his office in Janakipuram on October 13 and made him talk to the former MP over the same issue. He said the former MP’s aides were involved in getting compensation from the administration by producing forged documents of land acquired for Agra-Lucknow Expressway .

The former MP, however, said Gupta himself had a tainted background and was acting at the behest of his political rivals. He said he had nothing to do with the compensations claims of land acquired for Agra-Lucknow Expressway but the police slapped charges of forgery and cheating against him without asking for any proof from Gupta.

He said he had asked the district magistrate to conduct an independent probe in the matter. He also demanded registering of an FIR against Gupta if his claims were found false.