UP: Akhilesh Yadav shares an old video of IPS officer demanding ₹20 lakh bribe; probe ordered

Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, tweeted on Sunday a clip of an IPS officer demanding money from a businessman. He then attacked the Yogi Adityanath administration in Uttar Pradesh by questioning whether it would take "bulldozer" action against the officer. As a result, an investigation has been launched.

UP Police IPS officer Anirudh Singh is reportedly assigned to Varanasi. He is allegedly seen instructing someone to set up Rs. 20 lakh during a video chat. According to reports, the allegedly recorded video depicts Singh during his time stationed in the district of Meerut. According to the news agency PTI, the police commissioner has been asked to submit his report on the situation.

"After this video of an IPS demanding money in UP, will the direction of bulldozers change towards him or will the BJP government get rid of the matter by adding one more name to the list of absconding IPS? The people of UP are seeing the reality of BJP's zero-tolerance towards crime," Akhilesh Yadav tweeted along with a 10-second clip of the video.

Responding to Yadav's tweet, the Meerut Police said, “This video is over 2 years old and does not have any connection with Meerut. Probe has been completed in the matter.”

Two year old video

The more than two-year-old video's contents are being investigated, according to a later statement from the director general of the UP Police.

"A video of Shri Anirudh Singh, IPS officer appointed as SP Rural in district Meerut, is going viral in which he is seen conversing with a person through video call. On the basis of the said video, allegations of corruption are being levelled against Singh," an official release issued by the DGP said.

“The said case is 2 years old, but in view of the seriousness of the case, the Police Headquarters has inquired about it from the Commissioner Varanasi, current posting of the officer and sought a report within 3 days,” it said.

In the meantime, according to PTI, the police have opened a new probe into the charges made in a tweet against Singh's wife, an IPS officer, that she did not pay her landlord's rent.

According to the DGP office, Aarti Singh, who is employed as the DCP Varuna zone commissionerate in Varanasi, has been charged with failing to pay the rent on her apartment.

"Aarti Singh is the wife of Anirudh Singh. We have come to know that Aarti Singh has paid her rent and there is no outstanding balance, but the Police Headquarters has asked Commissioner Varanasi to probe the matter and give his report within 3 days," it said.