‘Held captive for 5 months’: In Basti, a post-poll kidnapping charge

The police said they acted on a complaint filed by Bahadarpur block chief Ram Kumar’s brother-in-law on March 18, but SP chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary alleged the “case is politically motivated”.

Additional Superintendent of Police Deependra Nath Chaudhary has said that everyone in Ram Kumar’s family was under the impression that he was willingly staying at the MLA’s house. Some local people also told that even before the abduction allegation surfaced, the block pramukh was frequently seen in Yadav’s company. They speculated he might have been trying to side with the SP, believing it will win the state elections but decided to turn against Yadav after the saffron party retained power.

The complainant, Om Prakash, has alleged that the SP legislator abducted Ram Kumar on October 23. The family did not get to see either Kumar or his wife and four children since then, according to the complaint. Kumar was backed by the BJP in the block chief elections. According to his family, Yadav was forcing him to join the SP.

Following the police raid at the MLA’s home, the block pramukh told reporters, “I was kidnapped and was forcibly held there for the last five months…I got independence today. I am with (local BJP leader) KK Dubey and my family, including my children, is safe.”

Dubey told The Indian Express, “Ram Kumar, along with his family, is staying next to my house in rented accommodation. His cellphone was taken away by MLA Mahendra Nath and there was no way to contact him.”

The Bahadurpur block pramukh seat was earlier held by Yadav’s sister-in-law Parmila Devi, and the SP leader is said to have played a big role in getting her elected. After the seat became reserved, Ram Kumar won it with the BJP’s support.

While the MLA could not be contacted for a comment, the SP’s former Basi district chief Raj Kapoor Yadav said he had no idea why the kidnapping case had been filed against the legislator.

The SP leader is the party’s current district chief. He was appointed to the post in 2019, two years after he lost the Assembly polls from Basti to Dayaram Chaudhary by 42,546 votes.

According to his election affidavit, Yadav has 13 pending cases against him, including a murder case from 2003-’04 when he was the president of the Shivharsh Kisan PG College Students’ Union.