BJP faces opposition heat after two UP ministers stare at arrest

The court issued the warrant after Nishad failed to appear issuance of summons several times in connection with a case against him seven years back

A day after the Uttar Pradesh minister for micro, small, and medium enterprises Rakesh Sachan allegedly fled from court after being held guilty in an old case by the district court in Kanpur, another state minister Sanjay Nishad, the president of BJP ally Nishad Party, found himself staring at trouble after a court in Gorakhpur issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against him and ordered the cops to arrest him and produce him before the court.

Chief judicial magistrate Jagannath issued the NBW after Nishad failed to appear before the court despite issuance of summons several times in connection with a case registered against him seven years back. The case pertains to large scale violence and clashes that erupted between supporters of Nishad and the police when the former had squatted on railway tracks demanding reservation for the community.

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One person had been killed after the police opened fire on the protestors during the agitation in 2015. A case was lodged at Sahajanwan police station in Gorakhpur district against 36 people including Sanjay Nishad. He was later granted bail in the matter.

State BJP leaders feigned ignorance about the issuance of the NBW by the court. "We have not yet seen the reports....the minister will follow the directions of the court," remarked a senior state BJP leader here on Sunday.

Nishad's party had contested the recently concluded assembly polls in alliance with the BJP and was made a cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath government.

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The issuance of NBW against Nishad comes on the back of UP minister Rakesh Sachan fleeing from the court after being held guilty in a case under the Arms Act. According to the sources, Sachan, against whom a complaint was lodged by a court employee in Kanpur, was summoned by Adityanath

Sachan, who was present in the court, suddenly left the court a few minutes before the judgement and was said to be untraceable, according to sources. The court of the additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM) has reserved its judgement on the quantum of punishment.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) demanded the immediate sacking of the ministers. ''Sachan ran faster than a sprinter taking his files.....he should be sacked immediately,'' said an SP leader here.

Congress, in a tweet, said that the minister (Sachan) must have thought that he was in a ''court at the Commonwealth Games and ran to receive a medal".