UP govt to withdraw 2011 case against anti-land acquisition protesters: BJP MLA

The Yogi Adityanath government ordered the withdrawal of the case last week but the prosecuting officer has yet to move an application on the matter. BJP MLA Dhirendra Singh, who represents the district’s Jewar seat in the Assembly, claimed that the government decided to withdraw the case following his efforts.

“During the protest, I was in the Congress and fighting for farmers. After winning the 2017 Assembly elections on a BJP ticket, I requested the chief minister to help the farmers booked in the case,” Singh added.

According to Dankaur police station records, the case dates back to February 18, 2011, when the protests in Dankaur town turned violent and the demonstrators assaulted a Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) official. The accused were also booked for forcibly detaining two government officials.

On a complaint by then sub-divisional magistrate Vishal Singh, the case was filed against “unidentified miscreants” under various IPC sections, including 147 (rioting), 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder). During the investigation, the police came to know about the involvement of five people in the incident.