UP cops surf 10k calls, arrest SP workers for potato attack on CM Yogi's house

Uttar Pradesh police on Saturday arrested two Samajwadi Party (SP) workers for throwing potatoes on the roads and near important places, including the chief minister's residence in the state capital recently, embarrassing the state government.

Lucknow police chief Deepak Kumar said here that the SP workers, identified as Ankit Chauhan and Pradeep Kumar, were arrested from Kannauj, the Lok Sabha constituency of SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple Yadav.

Kumar alleged that the potatoes were thrown by the SP workers as part of a ''conspiracy'' to ''malign'' the state government. He said that in all six people were involved in the conspiracy and that efforts were on to nab the others.

The police official said that the cops had to sift through as many as 10,000 calls before zeroing in on the suspects.

Farmers' right

Akhilesh slammed the state government for arresting his party workers and said they were farmers. ''Farmers, who are SP workers, are also victims of this government's anti-farmer policies...they have every right to protest,'' he said here.

The SP supremo said in a sarcastic vein that he would confer the prestigious 'Yash Bharti' award on the Lucknow police chief for cracking such a ''big'' case.

Irked over low prices of their produce, farmers had dumped a large quantity of potatoes in front of the state assembly building, CM Yogi Adityanath's residence and other important locations in the state capital.

Low price

Farmers have been demanding Rs 10 a kg for potatoes, while the state government has fixed a price of Rs 487 per quintal (less than Rs 5 a kg).

BJP leaders here said that it was a conspiracy hatched by the Opposition parties to tarnish the image of the state government.