FIR Filed Against Samajwadi Party Candidate From Ballia For Alleged Hate Speech

Sanatan Pandey was accused of inciting discord, promoting hatred, and threatening the district election officer.

New Delhi: Sanatan Pandey, the candidate representing the Samajwadi Party in the Ballia Lok Sabha constituency, has been charged by the police for purportedly inciting hostility and intimidating the district election officer, reported PTI quoting police officer. 

In the conversation with reporters, Pandey is heard stating that he had emerged victorious in the previous election, but administrative actions prevented him from securing the win. "I accepted my loss because I didn't want to challenge the Election Commission," he told the media. 

As per PTI, Superintendent of Police Dev Ranjan Verma said an FIR has been lodged against Pandey under sections 171 F (exercising undue influence in elections), 189 (threatening a public servant), 186 (obstructing a public servant in public work), 505 (2) (spreading hatred and animosity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Representation of the People Act on the basis of a complaint filed by Sub Inspector Makhan Singh in Ballia city. 

He claimed that during the previous elections, individuals affiliated with the government attacked him outside the counting center, resulting in damage to his vehicle. Pandey said that he would not allow anything of such kind to happen this year. 

Pandey further conveyed that he had taken an oath this time, stating that if the people of Ballia wished to defeat him, he would acknowledge it. However, if they desired to elect him as the winner, then neither the local administration nor the BJP could prevent him from being victorious. He added that "If they do so, either my body or the collector's body will come out.”  

A video clip of the statement has gone viral on social media. In his remarks on Saturday, Pandey, while discussing the current administration's tenure and achievements, was accused of inciting discord, promoting hatred, and threatening the district election officer. 

Pandey ran as a candidate for the Samajwadi Party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections but was defeated by the BJP's Virendra Singh Mast by 16,000 votes. This time around, he is competing against former Ballia MP Neeraj Shekhar of the BJP. Ballia is scheduled to vote in the final phase on June 1.