Courts Orders To File Case Against UP Minister Over Assault Of Women

Case against UP minister: The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court has ordered registering a case on Monday against Uttar Pradesh minister Anand Swaroop Shukla for alleged assault on women in April.

The Court passed this order on the application moved by one of the women named Rani Devi under Section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Woman's counsel Manoj Rai Hans said that the victim has complained that she and other people, including women, were assaulted by his supporters.

Reportedly, on April 5 these people of different villages visited the house of the minister of state for Parliamentary Affairs, for providing free textbooks and other assistance by schools under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act. The minister allegedly got enraged and at his instigation, the supporters of the accused assaulted women present there and also allegedly snatched their clothes.

Rani Devi has accused the UP minister, his brother Aadya Shukla, in charge of Ballia Kotwali police post Bal Mukund Mishra, 25 supporters of the minister and 25 police personnel over the alleged assault on the women.

In another case in the state, A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) district office-bearer was arrested based on a complaint filed over the incident of assaulting a woman block development council member. Reportedly, the attack took place during the nomination process for the elections to Block Development Council (BDC) chairperson.

The woman assaulted was accompanying a potential candidate for filing nomination papers. Ritu Singh, who is a resident of Semra Janipur in Lakhimpur Kheri, filed a written complaint to the police that Brij, a supporter of Rekha Verma, BJP MP from Dhauraha, pulled her sari and that of her proposer.

“I somehow pushed past the crowd blocking the entrance to the room of the returning officer and walked in, but they held the BDC member by her hand (on the premises outside), pulled her sari and snatched her belongings, including Rs 7,500 in cash and gold jewellery. They left her injured while pulling her gold earring,” she said.