Armed men 'demolish' ex-UP minister's boundary wall in UP's Bhadohi; 'demand' Rs 5 lakh

Bhadohi: A group of armed men allegedly demolished an under-construction boundary wall on the property of former Uttar Pradesh minister Rangnath Mishra here and demanded Rs 5 lakh to allow the work to continue, officials said on Saturday.

Police have registered an FIR and initiated an investigation into the incident, they said.

Mishra, a BJP leader who served as a Cabinet minister under the governments of Kalyan Singh and Ram Prakash Gupta, was constructing the boundary wall on a plot measuring over two bighas in Lalanagar in Gopiganj, according to the complaint filed by his son, Manmoham Mishra.

In the complaint, Manmohan alleged that a group of armed men arrived at the site, demolished the partially built wall, and chased away labourers, warning them against continuing the work. The accused allegedly demanded Rs 5 lakh to allow the construction of the wall.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhimanyu Manglik said the incident reportedly took place on February 26.

Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered on the evening of February 27 at the Gopiganj police station against Bhagwati Singh, his two sons, Dharmendra Kumar Singh and Krishna Kumar Singh, and four unidentified individuals, he said.

The SP said police are also looking into the demand for security made by Mishra's family.