Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate from Budhana Assembly seat in Muzaffarnagar disappeared under mysterious circumstances on Tuesdaynight. Alleging abduction, his family and friends blocked the UP-Haryana highway for several hours.
As per reports, Mohamed Arif (38) was shortlisted as the BSP candidate from Budhana Assembly seat and was in New Delhi for last three days.
On Tuesday evening, he called his wife and informed her of his return the same night. However, when he did not reach home and his mobile phone was found switched off, the family members suspecting foul play contacted the local police.
On Wednesday morning, the situation took a turn for the worse when his Scorpio MUV was found abandoned on the Delhi-Muzaffarnagar highway in Kankerkhera police station area of Meerut. Soon his family and sympathisers learnt abouyt it and soon about 200 supporters blocked the Karnal-Meerut highway at Ghari Sakhwat village at Budhana. This resulted in a huge traffic snarl on the inter-state highway. later senior officers intervened and pacified the protesters to clear the road.
Arif was declared candidate by the BSP after cancelling the ticket of Naeem Malik. Arif's family complained that he was returning home with Rs 10 lakh cash when he disappeared.
SP (city), Meerut, Omprakash said that Arif's family suspect that Naeem Malik could be behind the abduction. The police went to Naeem's house later but he was not home.
However, BSP MlC and Meerut Zone coordinator, Atar Singh Rao dismissed the charge saying that Naeem could not be involved in a heibous incident like this.
Meanwhile in Ballia, a BJP leader died while addressing a protest meeting against the ruling SP at Bhimpura locality on Tuesday.
BJP workers gheraoed Bhimpura police station as part of their campaign to gherao police stations across the state to protest the "goondaraj" during SP regime. While delivering a fiery speech, Tribhuvan Gupta (50) collapsed. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared his death due to a cardiac arrest.