The Roorkee police have lodged a case against Khanpur MLA Pranav Singh ‘Champion’ for alleged casteist comments and issuing threats. The case was lodged on the basis of a complaint filed by the Jhabreda MLA Deshraj Karnwal.
Talking to this correspondent, Karnwal alleged that Champion had defamed him and his wife by holding a Press conference at Roorkee earlier this year. “In the front of media, he had also threatened to rip me,” alleged the Jhabreda MLA.
On the other hand, the Khandpur MLA maintained that Karnwal has contested the election on the basis of a fake certificate. He said, “Taking cognisance of this, the high court of Uttarakhand has issued notice to the Government. Soon Karnwal will be in jail. Irked by this, he has filed a case against me. He had also threatened me and I had complained to the police but no action was taken. I will meet the Haridwar SSP and demand appropriate action,” said Champion.
Meanwhile, the Roorkee police circle officer Chandan Singh Bisht said that Champion had been booked under the SC-ST Act. Action will be taken on the basis of the investigation.
It will be recalled that the public spat between the two MLAs began earlier this year when both of them exchanged allegations.
The disagreement appeared to have been resolved after a meeting in the residence of the chief minister. However, it continued to simmer on. Later, a video clip showing the Khanpur MLA allegedly drunk and brandishing guns while dancing to a filmy song went viral on the social media. Following this, he was expelled by the Bharatiya Janata Party for a period of six years.