Lucknow: Acting on a complaint from journalists, the Moradabad Police have registered an FIR against the Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav and 20 unidentified party leaders and workers who had heckled scribes during a press conference on March 11.
The FIR has been lodged under Sections 147, 342, 323 of the IPC against Akhilesh and 20 others at Paakbada Police Station in Moradabad after local journalist association President Dr Awadhesh Parashar gave a complaint to the SSP.
A few journalists, one of them seriously, were injured when SP workers and Akhilesh's Security men allegedly attacked media persons after the press conference on March 11 in a hotel. A video journalist Fareed Shamshi sustained a fracture in his leg in the attack.
Interestingly, a counter FIR was lodged by the Samajwadi Party District President Jaiveer Singh against Ubaidur REhman of ABP News and Fareed Shamsi of News 18 under Sections 160, 341, 332, 53, 504, 499 and 120-B of the IPC.
Though Akhilesh had initially regretted the incident, he showed a volte-face the next day after the news hogged headlines. He countered the charge saying that journalists had planned an attack on him and his security personnel at the behest of the BJP.
Journalists Unions and the BJP had condemned the attack on the members of the fourth estate. A delegation of the local Journalists’ Association had met the Moradabad Commissioner A.K. Singh on March 11 to demand an inquiry and action against Yadav and his party workers..
The Commissioner had handed over the probe to the SSP Moradabad Prabhakar Choudhary. “An FIR has been registered in the incident. A counter FIR has also been lodged. Investigation is on and we will record statements of injured journalists as well as others to initiate further action,” said the SSP
