UP official counters Akhilesh Yadav's claims that voters are being threatened

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Amid a wave of allegations of electoral malpractices in the bypolls to nine Uttar Pradesh Assembly seats, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has shared a video in which a police officer can be seen charging at women with a revolver pointed at them. While Mr Yadav has alleged that voters were threatened by the policeman in Muzaffarnagar's Kakrouli, the district magistrate has claimed that stones were pelted at the police team who had gone to break up a clash between two groups and that no one was intimidated by the cops.


Mr Yadav identified the cop as the officer in-charge of the Kakrouli police station in Muzaffarnagar district's Meerapur Assembly segment.


"The SHO of Kakrouli police station in Meerapur must be suspended immediately because he is threatening voters with a revolver and stopping them from voting," he wrote in a post on X.


In the video he shared, a woman is heard telling the cop, "You don't have the order to fire." The cop, revolver in hand, walks towards her shouting, "we have the orders". The woman stands her ground and says, "This is not right."


The cop has been identified as Station House Officer Rajiv Sharma.


Replying to the post, Muzaffarnagar District Magistrate (DM) Umesh Mishra denied the allegations and said the police team had gone to the area near Kakrouli village on receiving information that a fight had broken out between two groups.


Mr Sharma said efforts were made to get the groups to disperse but stones were thrown at the police team, after which "mild force" was used.


"Police station in-charge Kakrouli Rajiv Sharma, who was present at the spot, took action to normalise the law and order situation with anti-riot equipment. No one was threatened in this action. Legal action will be taken by registering a case under relevant sections for throwing stones at the police team," he said in the statement in Hindi.


Several other X users also responded to Akhilesh Yadav's post and accused him of not posting the entire video. In the videos posted by them, a man can be seen attempting to throw stones at the cops before the policeman pulls out his gun.

'Deploying Goons'

The Samajwadi Party has accused the police of "misbehaving" with voters in Meerapur. "They are being stopped from casting their votes, voting is getting affected. Police is misbehaving with voters and using lathis on women at booth number 318 of Mirapur assembly constituency in Muzaffarnagar. Election Commission should take cognisance and ensure fair voting," the party said on X.


The bypolls to nine Assembly seats has sparked heated exchanges between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Samajwadi Party. While Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has alleged in multiple posts that cops are stopping and intimidating voters, state BJP president Bhupendra Chaudhary has accused the Opposition party of deploying goons and mafia on the ground out of frustration.


Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh police Navdeep Rinwa have said five cops have been suspended. "Voter IDs must be checked by poll staff inside the booth. Cops outside will not check IDs or stop anyone. If such complaints come, we will take action," he said.


The poll officer was responding to Mr Yadav's allegation that police were checking voter cards of people and stopping them from casting their vote.