By IANS
Lucknow : Two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) workers, arrested in Faizabad for possession of arms while staying in the same hotel as Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, were released Friday morning.
Pyare Lal Jatav and Sangram Jatav were arrested late Thursday at Faizabad’s Krishna Palace hotel, where they have been staying since April 27 to organise the BSP election campaign, after they were found in possession of a pistol and a revolver.
“We decided to let them off after questioning, which revealed nothing suspicious about them,” district magistrate Amod Kumar told IANS over the phone from Faizabad, 130 km from here.
“We checked their addresses and other credentials. Since nothing adverse was found against them, we released them after a warning for carrying weapons while section 144 (of the Code of Criminal Procedure that disallows carrying of firearms in a public place) was in force in the district on account of the ongoing elections,” he said.
Kumar added: “Both held valid licences for their weapons.”
Notwithstanding the brouhaha, an unfazed Gandhi went on a casual late-night walk along with MP Satish Sharma, who has been accompanying him all through his whirlwind campaign across Uttar Pradesh, where the staggered elections end May 8.