Minister booked for misbehaving with poll staff

Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) : An FIR has been lodged against Minister of state Dinesh Khatik for ‘misbehaving with officials on poll duty and disturbing the election process’.

This comes days after the first phase of polling in western Uttar Pradesh.

A video of the incident had gone viral on the day of voting, February 10, in which the BJP MLA was seen scolding a policeman at a polling booth.

“Naukri karni hai ki nahi (Do you want to keep your job?),” Khatik, the BJP candidate from Hastinapur constituency, had purportedly said when the policeman asked him to remove a stole, bearing his party’s symbol and colours, before entering the voting room.

Khaitk’s supporters also manhandled the polling staff which caused a 20-minute disruption in voting.

Mawana circle officer (CO) Uday Pratap Singh said, “The minister threatened poll staff and misbehaved with them. This is a cognisable offence. On the complaint of the sector magistrate, we have booked him and his supporters under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 171 (wearing garb or carrying token used by public servant with fraudulent intent), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 353 (assault).”

According to police, Khatik’s supporters had created a ruckus alleging that a poll official had touched the feet of a rival candidate on the day of voting in the constituency.

The CO said that a separate FIR was lodged against the minister for conducting a roadshow in Hastinapur without permission on February 8, the last day of his campaign.