By IANS,
Lucknow : Even as Chief Minister Mayawati was busy taking political centrestage in New Delhi for over a week, back home in Uttar Pradesh the law was closing in on four of her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislators.
The four BSP lawmakers, including a minister, have been slapped with criminal charges during the past one week.
The district court of Muzaffarnagar Tuesday asked the police to produce Bulandshahr BSP legislator Mohammad Aleem in a case of kidnapping and rape.
Similarly, the district court of Auraiya Monday directed the police to lodge a case of attempt to murder against BSP lawmaker Shekhar Tiwari, who represents Auraiya Sadar constituency.
Similar instructions were given out Saturday against two other lawmakers.
State Sports Minister Ayodhya Prasad Pal was declared an absconder by the Fatehpur district court in a five-year-old land dispute.
The complainant said a group of villagers was resisting an attempt by Pal’s supporters to grab his piece of land, when the minister asked them to fire at the protesters. Five people were injured in the firing.
Pal was present on the spot when the incident occurred, the complainant alleged. The court declared Pal an absconder after the police failed to arrest him and asked the officials to submit a compliance report by August 4.
The same day an offence for forgery was registered by the police against legislator Balvir Kivana of Kandhla constituency and eight others in Muzaffarnagar district on the direction of a local court.
The charge on him was that he and some others had in 2006 illegally bought a disputed piece of land and forged land documents were used for the purpose.
Tuesday’s directions against Aleem and his brother Mohammad Yunus, issued by the Muzaffarnagar district court, were in connection with a case dating back to June 2003.
According to official records, 48 Nepalese girls were rescued from a circus in Muzaffarnagar in 2003 at the instance of a Nepal-based non-government organisation.
“The rescued victims, in their statement before the court, accused Aleem of illegal confinement and sexual assault. The medical examination of two girls confirmed rape,” an official said.
The girls used to work in Apollo Circus reportedly run by Aleem.
The case was lodged June 5, 2003, and subsequently in September that year the probe in it was entrusted to the Crime Investigation Department.
When asked about the court directives by IANS on phone, Inspector General of Police (Meerut Zone) Gyan Singh, said he was not aware.
In the case of Shekhar Tiwari, the Auraiyya district court, 250 km from Lucknow, asked the city police to lodge a case of attempt to murder following a complaint by a lawyer Arun Pandey.
“In his complaint, Pandey accused the legislator and his supporters of trying to forcibly acquire a piece of land belonging to him,” an official said.
When they failed to grab the land, Tiwari and his supporters allegedly attacked his house and opened fire at him, official sources said.
“We are still to receive a hard copy of the order,” Sureshwar Mishra, additional superintendent of police said on phone.