Shrikant Tyagi case: Who is 'godfather' of absconding BJP 'neta'?

Absconding BJP 'neta' Shrikant Tyagi is said to be closely connected with several top politicians. He has been accused of abusing and assaulting a woman resident of his Grand Omaxe Housing Society in Noida.

NOIDA: While the ruling BJP has categorically said it has NOTHING to do with Shrikant Tyagi, the man who is absconding at the moment and projects himself as a saffron party leader, media reports have found links of his close connection with an influential Uttar Pradesh politician and a former minister. It has been reported that Tyagi, who is in the real estate business and own several properties in Uttarakhand, Delhi and UP, has a strong connection with Swami Prasad Maurya, a former UP minister and an influential OBC leader.

Maurya has, however, flatly DENIED having any connection whatsoever with Tyagi, while replying to questions about his pictures with him on the latter’s social media handles. Maurya had admitted that he might have met him several years ago along with other political workers during which he claimed to be a BJP functionary.

He even called for a probe into how he managed to get several gunners and on whose recommendations. But Maurya’s political rivals claim him to be the ‘Godfather’ of Tyagi and accuse him of helping him in evading the law.  

Several pictures of Tyagi and top politicians, including BJP chief JP Nadda and Swatantra Dev Singh, have also surfaced on social media and sources claim that he used those images for his personal political gains.

क्या इतने सालों से भाजपा सरकार को नहीं पता था कि नोएडा के भाजपा नेता का निर्माण अवैध है? बुलडोजर कार्रवाई दिखावटी है। इन सवालों के जवाब से सरकार बच रही है

एक महिला के साथ खुलेआम अभद्रता व 10-15 गुंडे भेजकर महिलाओं को धमकाने की हिम्मत उसे कौन दे रहा है? कौन है जो उसको बचाता रहा? pic.twitter.com/3tICtFylMw

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 8, 2022

Tyagi claims himself to be a national executive member of the BJP’s Kisan Morcha and national co-coordinator of its Yuva Samiti – a claim denied by the ruling party. His unverified Twitter account, which is now locked to the public, describes him as a BJP worker. Tyagi’s purported accounts on Facebook and Instagram have 81,000 and 52,400 followers respectively.

In his most recent Facebook post, dated 5 August, he had congratulated people on the two-year anniversary of the Bhoomi Pujan at the Ayodhya Ram Temple site.

The last location of this self-claimed BJP leader, who has been accused of abusing and assaulting a woman resident of his Grand Omaxe Housing Society in Noida's Sector 93, has been traced to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand and all efforts are on to arrest him soon. 

According to the UP Police sources, Shrikant has fled to Uttarakhand after escaping Noida and his last location was traced between Haridwar and Rishikesh. Though he has not been arrested yet, the Uttarakhand police are cooperating with their UP counterparts in tracing and nabbing him at the earliest.

Noida Police has also declared a reward of Rs 25,000 for the person who gives information on the location of the absconding so-called politician. According to sources, an intense operation to nab the absconding accused is currently underway and multiple teams of the Noida Police are working in coordination to zero in on his location. 

Tyagi was on Friday booked under Indian Penal Code section 354 (assault or use of criminal force on any woman) over a spat with a co-resident of the Grand Omaxe Housing Society in Noida's Sector 93. The woman had objected to Tyagi planting some trees in the society's common area, citing violation of rules. He claimed he was within his rights to do so.