Several Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders, including the party’s district president, have alleged that they were placed under “house arrest” on Wednesday for “wanting to meet chief minister Yogi Adityanath and discuss the problems of farmers and people of the district”, said. party spokesperson CA Pradeep Bhati on Wednesday.
Adityanath and vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar were in Greater Noida on Wednesday for the inauguration of the UP international trade show, 2024.
The leaders said the “house arrest” came hours after district president Sudhir Bhati wrote to Gautam Budh Nagar police commissioner Laxmi Singh, urging her to let a party delegation meet the CM during his visit.
“The chief minister is in Gautam Budh Nagar district and a delegation of SP leaders wants to meet him regarding the problems of farmers and people of Gautam Buddha Nagar district. Therefore, you are requested to arrange time for the delegation,” Bhati said in the letter to Singh.
Bhati claimed that instead of facilitating his request, at least 40-50 police personnel were deployed at his home moments after he sent the letter and arranged a press conference about the matter.
“Since 8pm, police are present at my house. We had only requested to raise issues such as allotment of plots to farmers affected by land acquisition, which has been pending for years, connectivity issues faced by people due to the Jewar airport, the conditions of the district’s roads, and rampant corruption among the authorities. . Why do these issues persist despite the CM’s frequent visits to the district?” Sister said.
Similarly, other leaders such as SP district youth president Prashant Bhati and spokesperson Rajkumar Bhati were also restrained from moving out of their homes.
Spokesperson Pradeep Bhati said, “It is the democratic right of the opposition to raise the voice of the people, and that too for the welfare of the district. This call to meet the CM and discuss issues was purely on behalf of the people.”
Ashok Kumar, additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP), Greater Noida, refuted the allegations and said the leaders were not placed under house arrest. But they were “not allowed to submit the memorandum or meet the CM as it was an event being attended by VP Dhankhar, and the CM was only there to welcome him.”
“We did not place anyone under house arrest. They had requested to submit a memorandum to the CM, which one of their colleagues had already submitted at the Surajpur collectorate a while ago. So what is the need to meet the CM again, especially today when he is here to welcome a guest? For official matters, the CM’s office can also be approached,” Kumar said.
When asked why such heavy police deployment was carried out at the district president’s house, Kumar stressed that the protocol demanded a strict check on law and order during VIP visits.
On the other hand, Bharatiya Janata Party district president Gajendra Mavi thanked the police and administration for “bolstering” and “upholding” the law and order situation in the district and preventing anything “untoward” during the visit of “two important leaders”.
“This is a good initiative, and they were only stopped. Was anyone arrested or sent to jail? There was no house arrest. Only protocols were followed,” Mavi said.
