Uttar Pradesh's Rudauli BJP MLA Ramchandra Yadav
Credit: Facebook/@Ram Chandra Yadav
Ayodhya (UP): Uttar Pradesh's Rudauli BJP MLA Ramchandra Yadav staged a 'dharna' here after registration of a criminal case against six persons, including four Dalit and two Muslim, over alleged tree-cutting and "stealing of wood".
The protest, staged in front of the Nagar Panchayat office in Rudauli tehsil on Wednesday, later ended following the "assurance" of appropriate action by Circle Officer (CO) Ashish Nigam.
Nagar Panchayat Executive Officer Nikhilesh Mishra said preparations were underway for the upcoming 'Jhalkari Bai Jayanti' celebration on November 22, where Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been invited as the chief guest.
During the cleaning work around the Nagar Panchayat premises, a tree was allegedly cut down, following which Mishra lodged a complaint on October 5 at the Baba Bazar police station.
SHO Shailendra Kumar Azad said, "The case was registered against six persons, identified as Nishu Ahmad, Aabid Abdul, Lal Bahadur, Ramroop, Siyaram, and Navmi Lal on charges of stealing wood. The matter is under investigation." Yadav and district BJP general secretary Radhey Shyam Tyagi said they had already apprised Chief Minister Adityanath about the matter, yet an FIR was registered against members of the Kori community.
Meanwhile, Ayodhya District Magistrate Nikhil Tikaram Funde has transferred Rudauli Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vikas Dhar Dubey to Sohawal tehsil, following Yadav's meeting with the chief minister.
Angry BJP workers demanded that the administration withdraw the case and take action against those responsible, with Yadav warning that it would be resumed if the FIR was not withdrawn.
However, reacting to the protest, BJP district spokesperson Rajneesh Singh said, "Those who staged a dharna against the administration were completely wrong. They should have raised their concerns within the party forum. I demand that the party's state president and disciplinary committee issue show-cause notices and take action against them."