FIR against Akhilesh Yadav, 20 others over alleged assault on journalists in UP

Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav posted pictures of the FIR copy and wrote, "The UP government has filed an FIR against me which I am sharing here in the interest of the public."

File Photo

New Delhi: An FIR has been filed against Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and 20 other party workers on Saturday (March 13) over alleged assault on journalists in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad. 

The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint by a journalist at Pakhwara police station late on Friday night under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), police officials told news agency PTI.

The SP chief took to Twitter to condemn the Yogi government over the FIR filed against him and his party workers. Posting pictures of the FIR copy, he wrote, "The UP government has filed an FIR against me which I am sharing here in the interest of the public." 

“If the need arises, we will also install hoardings of the FIR copy in Lucknow,” he added. He also called the FIR a “symbol of frustration of the losing BJP”.

उप्र की भाजपा सरकार ने मेरे ख़िलाफ़ जो एफ़आईआर लिखवाई है, जनहित में उसकी प्रति प्रदेश के हर नागरिक के सूचनार्थ यहाँ प्रकाशित कर रहे हैं।

अगर आवश्यकता पड़ी तो राजधानी लखनऊ में होर्डिंग भी लगवा देंगे।

ये एफ़आईआर हारती हुई भाजपा की हताशा का प्रतीक है। pic.twitter.com/50ddRQh0fs

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) March 13, 2021

The complainant has alleged that Yadav was rattled by a few personal questions posed by journalists during an interaction with him at a hotel on March 11 during a press conference. The FIR claimed that the SP chief allegedly incited security guards and over 20 SP workers to attack the journalists which led to grievous injuries to a few of them.

Refuting the allegations, SP MP from Moradabad Syed Tufail Hasan, who was with Yadav during the incident, told PTI, “Some electronic mediapersons broke the security cordon and fell amid jostling after being stopped by guards. One journalist suffered injuries in his leg and has been sent to a hospital.” 

Yadav had expressed grief over the incident, he added. 

Meanwhile, PTI reported that a counter-FIR has been also lodged against the journalists by SP district president Jaiveer Yadav.

The police is investigating the matter, Superintendent of Police Amit Anand said, adding that TV and CCTV footage would be examined.