Battle for UP: Minister booked for violating model code

Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh) : Uttar Pradesh Minister Kapil Dev Agarwal, has been booked by the Muzaffarnagar police for allegedly violating model code of conduct and Covid protocol.

An FIR has been registered at the Nagar Kotwali police station here on the basis of a video that went viral.

In the clip, the minister and around 35-40 of his supporters, including BJP’s district unit general secretary Radhey Verma and district vice-president Ajay Sagar, are seen holding a meeting.

Investigations revealed that the meeting was held on Tuesday night.

Anand Mishra, station house officer (SHO) of the Nagar Kotwali police station, said the FIR has been registered against Agarwal, six named people and some 35 to 40 unidentified people.

They have been booked under IPC sections 171H (illegal payments in connection with an election), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant), 269 (whoever unlawfully or negligently does any act which is, and which he knows or has reason to believe to be, likely to spread the infection of any disease), 270 (whoever malignantly does any act which is, and which he knows or has reason the believe to be, likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life) and provisions of the Disaster Management Act.

Earlier, another video had gone viral in which hundreds of people were seen at a feast purportedly organised by Intezar Ahmed, district unit president of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Tuesday afternoon.

He along with 12 party workers and 12 unknown people were charged with violating the code of conduct and Covid protocols.