LUCKNOW, Oct 29:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government in Uttar Pradesh can rake up any issue any time, said Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President Raj Babbar on Sunday.
He was reacting to UNI’s question on what action he was contemplating after the additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) Indra Prakash issued a bailable warrant against him on Saturday, asking him to be present in the court on November 20.
While saying that he wasn’t aware of the matter, Babbar said he would respond to the issue once he gets to see the court order.
The warrant was issued in connection with a 21-year-old case filed against Babbar on a complaint from then polling officer Krishna Singh Rana, who is currently working in the Transport Department headquarters in Lucknow.
According to Rana’s complaint lodged with Wazirganj police station on May 2, 1996, Babbar, accompanied by Arvind Yadav and some others, barged into polling booth 192 in Sultan-e-Madaris school here, during Lok Sabha elections, and manhandled, abused and obstructed him from executing his duties as government officer.
The complainant alleged that Babbar and his associates falsely accused him of rigging voting and cornered Rana and polling agent Shiv Kumar Singh.
The complainant had further alleged that he suffered injuries on his lips and polling agent was injured in the nose and throat. Rana said he was rescued after intervention by other polling officers and policemen deployed at the polling station.
After investigations, police filed a chargesheet on September 23, 1996 against Babbar, Yadav and others. Since Babbar and Yadav ignored summons, the court decided to issue warrants against them.
While recalling vaguely that such an incident had happened, Babbar clarified that he had gone to the polling booth on receiving reports of malpractices at the booth in question. But he denied that there was any sort of manhandling at the scene.
“The BJP is in power and the Government can open many such fictitious cases with a view to fix people who oppose BJP,” he concluded. (UNI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel