Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi cost a man from Mirzapur his life as he was mowed down allegedly by a car driver with whom he had a heated political debate. The accused was arrested based on CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts.
The incident was reported in Kolahi village under Vindhyachal police station in Mirzapur late on Monday evening when the victim, identified as Rajeshdhar Dubey (50), went to the marriage ceremony of his nephew.
According to reports, Dubey’s nephew got married in Mirzapur on Sunday. Early Monday morning, after all wedding rituals were wrapped up, Dubey and his associates — Lalji Mishra, Dhirendra Kumar Pandey and others — boarded an SUV which had been hired for the guests.
According to the co-passengers, Dubey and the SUV driver entered into a political debate during the journey. Things went out of control when Dubey praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also stopped the driver from speaking ill about Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Angered by his political ideology, the driver allegedly stopped the car and forced Dubey to step out. Dubey tried to block the car’s path by standing in front of it but the driver mowed him down and dragged him up to around 20 metres.
It was only after other passengers raised an alarm that the driver stopped the vehicle and fled the scene. After a six-hour search, the driver, identified as Amjad, was arrested. A case was registered against the accused on the complaint of the victim's brother, SP City Shrikant Prajapati said.
Meanwhile, terming Amjad a person harbouring a Taliban-like mindset, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad demanded demolition of his house. District president of VHP in Mirzapur Ramchandra Shukla met the grieving family. The VHP delegation offered their condolences to the bereaved family and assured them that they would bring the matter to the attention of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and seek decisive action against Amjad and others with similar mindset.
Shukla conveyed to the family that the perpetrator would be able to go scot-free under no circumstances.
“Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be briefed about this matter, and we will seek demolition of the houses of people like Amjad who harbour Taliban-like ideologies,” Shukla said. He claimed that Vindhyachal, a pilgrimage site for Hindus, had become a crime-prone area.