Uttar Pradesh deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya was gheraoed by a group of locals in Sirathu in Kaushambi district on Saturday during his visit to the residence of a zila panchayat member, who is missing from three days. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, said that the villagers were staging a protest against the “police response†in the case.
In a purported video shared widely on social media, a group of locals were seen allegedly protesting against Maurya, who was on his first visit to Sirathu assembly constituency on Saturday after the BJP announced him as its candidate from the seat ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. He was first elected from the seat in 2012.
Party spokesperson Navin Srivastava, who accompanied Maurya to Sirathu, said, “Keshav ji had gone to meet family of zila panchayat member, Rajesh Maurya who is missing from past three days. Local residents were agitated against the police response in the case. Several search teams have been formed, still Keshav ji, on the demand of his (Rajesh’s) family, issued a directive to the higher authorities to constitute a special team for action in the matter.â€
“Opposition parties and their IT cells are doing propaganda by presenting the video inappropriately,†Srivastava said.
