FIR Against Akhilesh Yadav for Allegedly Assaulting Journalists

SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav.

(Photo: PTI)

A case was registered against Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav and 20 party workers in relation with an alleged assault on journalists in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Saturday, 13 March, PTI reported.

Further, Samajwadi Party district President Jaiveer Yadav lodged a counter-case against the journalists.

According to The Indian Express, Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and order) Prashant Kumar said, “The cross FIRs were lodged based on complaints from both sides. Further action will be taken based on the merits of the cases. An investigation is underway.”

The first case against the SP chief and 20 others was registered on a complaint filed by Awadhesh Parashar, national president of the Indian Press Aliveness Association, IANS reported.

WHAT HAD HAPPENED?

The complainant alleged that during a press conference held on behalf of former UP chief minister on Thursday, 11 March, some journalists asked a few personal questions that made Yadav livid.

An angry Yadav allegedly asked his security personnel and SP workers to thrash the journalists. During the “attack,” a number of journalists suffered injuries, and some of them had serious ones, the IANS report added.

"We asked many questions about Azam Khan and since Yadav couldn't answer those properly, he got irritated and ordered his security guards to force the journalists out. During the scuffle, we got injured,” PTI quoted the journalists as saying.

WHAT DOES THE COUNTER-COMPLAINT SAY?

Meanwhile, in the counter complaint lodged by SP district head Jaiveer Yadav against media persons Fareed Shamsi and Ubaidur Rehman, Yadav alleged that two persons who said they were journalists tried to break into the security cordon of the former chief minister when they were prevented by security guards.

Akhilesh Yadav took to Twitter to say, “This FIR is a symbol of frustration of the losing BJP.”

Superintendent of Police Amit Anand reportedly said that TV and CCTV footage would be examined during the investigation of the case.

“In the FIR which was lodged based on the complaint by journalists, former CM Akhilesh Yadav has been named. We are scanning the footage from CCTV cameras at the hotel and are probing the issue,” The Indian Express quoted Anand as saying.

(With inputs from PTI, The Indian Express and IANS)