SP president Akhilesh Yadav addressing media persons at party office on Monday
Akhilesh went on to describe the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF) as the ‘ Swajatiye Task Force’ (STF) claiming that 10 of the total of 20 officers in the specific police wing were CM’s swajatiye . You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Lucknow | Silver Rate in Lucknow | Bank Holidays in Lucknow | Public Holidays in Lucknow | Lucknow AQI | Weather in Lucknow | Petrol Price in Lucknow | Diesel Price in Lucknow | CNG Price in Lucknow | LPG Price in Lucknow Stay updated with the latest Lucknow news.
Akhilesh said targeted harassment of PDA members was not limited to common man but also prevalent within the state police force and crime accused who have taken the police bullet in encounters. He said police claimed he died of cardiac arrest, but the theory did not match with CCTV footage. “Out of the 22 police stations in Badaun, 10 are headed by police officers who are CM’s swajatiye,” Akhilesh said, adding that the same BJP had floated a false narrative that officers of particular caste were posted on key positions under the erstwhile SP govt. Akhilesh recalled how a Dalit worker at a brick-kiln in Varanasi last week was beaten to death by “people belonging to CM’s caste” only because he wanted to work at another kiln. He said PDA members in police force were also being targeted. “A couple of days ago a woman constable in Basti, who suffered head injury in a road accident, was not allowed leave to undergo medical treatment and she died,” he said. They have been sidelined,” he said. “Our party functionaries were desperate to release similar videos of BJP functionaries, but I stopped them,” Akhilesh said, adding that his party was receiving AI videos of top BJP brass. “This had happened to us thrice,” Akhilesh said adding: “We are positive and progressive people, and we would never do such a thing.
To back his claims, Akhilesh cited the Badaun incident where a Dalit youth Rajesh Kori died in police custody a few days ago. “Police officers from PDA community and those who are upright and honest are not being given field postings. Akhilesh also cautioned the BJP not to indulge in circulating AI generated videos hitting SP leadership below the belt. He got one of such videos screened saying that people were sending such videos in bulk. We will take the state forward. Download the TOI App.
Earlier in the day, Akhilesh, national general secretary Shivpal Yadav, secretary Rajendra Chaudhary and state president Shyam Lal Pal held a meeting of district and city presidents and directed them to compile instances of targeted exploitation and harassment of the PDA members and share compilation with the media. The SP chief’s comment came close to the heels of Congress party’s demand for an FIR against the ‘purification’ of Haldwani’s Ramlila Maidan stage that was done by a right wing group after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed an event there earlier this month. Lucknow: Launching a pointed attack on BJP , Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday claimed that members of the PDA community – comprising Pichhda (backward classes), Dalit, and Alpsankhyak (minorities) – are being targeted by chief minister’s ‘ swajatiye ‘ (same-caste) musclemen. Purification row: It happened to us thrice Times News Network Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday recalled how the chief minister’s official residence and a temple in Kannauj were purified with “Ganga Jal’ after he walked out of the two places.