Married to a Dalit, daughter of BJP MLA claims threat to life from dad

BAREILLY: Local BJP MLA Rajesh Mishra landed in a controversy after a set of two videos went viral on Wednesday in which his daughter is seen expressing threat from him to her and her dalit boyfriend’s life after the two ran away and got married in a temple. In video messages addressed to Bareilly police chief Muniraj G, MLA Mishra’s daughter Sakshi, 23, and her husband Ajitesh Kumar alias Abhi, 29, have urged him to provide security.
While the MLA, who is also known as Pappu Bhartaul, didn’t respond to TOI queries despite several attempts, the SSP said that he was aware of the viral video, but nobody has approached him with a formal complaint. DIG RK Pandey said he had come to know of the video messages and had asked the SSP to extend security to the couple. The DIG, however, said the police didn’t know where to give her security as she had not disclosed her location. No FIR has been lodged in the case so far.
Sakshi released two videos, shot inside a car at an unknown destination, within a gap of a few hours on Wednesday. In the first video, Sakshi and Ajitesh can be seen saying: “I am Sakshi and this is my husband Abhi. We are frustrated after running from one place to another. Now, I want to request the SSP to provide us security.” In the same video, Kumar says: “We were staying in a hotel where some people, who wanted to kill us, arrived. But luckily we had managed to escape from there. The only reason they want to kill us is because I am a Dalit.”
In another video, Sakshi can been seen giving message to his family. “Papa – Pappu Bhartaulji — and my brother Vicky, I request you to live with peace and let us live with peace. I am not wearing ‘sindoor’ just out of fashion but I have actually married Abhi. And Papa, stop your man Rajiv Rana, who is chasing us. Make him understand not to test my tolerance otherwise he would be in jail for sure. Due to your people, our life has turned into hell.”
She further asked Bhartual to stop harassing Kumar’s family. “It’s I and Abhi who decided to live together and nobody is responsible for the step we have taken. You enjoy your politics and let me enjoy my life peacefully.” She also said that in future if anything wrong happened to them or Kumar’s family, it would be her father Pappu Bhartaul, brother Vicky Bhartaul and Rajiv Rana responsible for that.
Ajitesh’s father is a bank manager and said to be having a close association with the MLA for years. Ajitesh runs his own business.
The SSP said that any complaint from any side was yet to arrive. “Nobody has approached us so far regarding this matter. If we find danger to anybody’s life, security will be provided but there is no complaint lodged with us so far,” he said.