Express News Service
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Friday turned into a courtroom to hear a case of Breach of Privilege motion against six former police personnel, who were sentenced to a day’s imprisonment as punishment for abusing and assaulting former BJP MLA Salil Bishnoi.
Bishnoi had given notice on October 25, 2004, accusing the six of misbehaving with him and hitting him with canes, causing a fracture in his leg, when he was leading a delegation to submit a memorandum to the Kanpur DM against frequent power cuts on September 15, 2004.
The state government was, at the time, led by the Samajwadi Party and the late Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Chief Minister. All the six accused, including the then Circle Officer, Babupurva in Kanpur Nagar, Abdul Samad (now retired), the then SHO Kidwai Nagar, Rishikant Shukla and now-retired SI Triloki Singh and constables Chote Singh Yadav, Vinod Mishra and Meharban Singh Yadav had been summoned to be present in the House on Friday.
The state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna moved a resolution to sentence the accused to a day’s imprisonment (till 12 midnight). Speaker Satish Mahana announced the verdict to this effect.
When the state Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi requested the Speaker to reduce the sentence to only a few hours, the latter rejected it, saying that he had already pronounced the sentence.
Before pronouncing the verdict, the Assembly Speaker gave a chance to the accused to present their side of the story. The former cops, expressing regret over the incident, tendered an apology, attributing their action to the pressure of police duty. They promised not to repeat such an act with any other lawmaker in the future. Later, the six former policemen were ordered to be confined to a lockup in the Vidhan Sabha building till midnight.
‘Sentence pronounced, can’t be reversed’
The state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna moved a resolution to sentence the accused to a day’s imprisonment (till 12 midnight). Speaker Satish Mahana announced the verdict to this effect.
When the state Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi requested the Speaker to reduce the sentence to only a few hours, the latter rejected it, saying that he had already pronounced the sentence.
