BSP MLA under arrest for allegedly killing engineer near Lucknow

Lucknow, Dec.25 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Police arrested the Bahujan Samaj Party MLA from Auraiya, Shekhar Tewari, on Wednesday for allegedly killing Manoj Kumar Gupta, an executive engineer of the Public Works Department near State capital.

The BSP MLA Tewari, who already has many court cases for murder and abduction pending against him, was arrested near Raniya in Kanpur district.

Manoj Kumar Gupta, was reportedly battered to death, allegedly by the MLA and his two henchmen, for refusing to pay contribution for celebrating birthday of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP chief Ms.Mayawati next month, a charge Bahujan Samaj Party has denied.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of Police Vikram Singh during a news conference on Wednesday night stated that the MLA had been taken to the Akbarpur police station for interrogation. Mr. Singh said the FIR named two PWD engineers, S.K. Tyagi and Tyagi, for alleged involvement in the murder.

State Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh told reporters here that an FIR had been lodged against the MLA under Sections 342, 323, 457, 364 and 302 of the IPC. The government would book him under the Gangsters Act. However, charges of extortion were yet to be proved, he said.

The U.P. Engineers' Association, meanwhile, has demanded a compensation of Rs.25 lakh (2.5 million rupees) for the victim's family and security for engineers.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh's main opposition Samajwadi Party has given a public call for a statewide shutdown on Thursday in protest of lynching of the government engineer. (ANI)