Kamal Ghorui
Lucknow: The “indecent video” of UP cadre IPS officer deputed as election observer for the assembly polls in West Bengal, which has gone viral on social media, has dented the image the Uttar Pradesh govt and administration, said Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav in a statement on Tuesday.Akhilesh’s comments came hours after Trinamool Congress MP Mohua Moitra posted a video on the social media claiming that it was of UP cadre IPS Ajay Sharma deputed for West Bengal polls. In the video the officer is purportedly seen enjoying the dance of women at a dim lit venue. The TMC MPs social media post came in response to videos of how the IPS officer visited a locality in poll bound state and threatened a TMC candidate’s supporters if there were any complaints of them intimidating voters.“The conduct of the particular IPS officer is not an exception under the BJP govt in UP. The video exposes the hollowness of BJP’s calls for ‘Mahila Samman’ and ‘Nari Vandana’. The video has left the women wondering over the state of affairs where such an officer is in-charge of their security and safety,” Akhilesh said.The former UP CM said it now remains to be seen as to how long would it take before the officer would be suspended or his services would be terminated. “This episode is directly linked to the CM’s image. The nature and extent of action against the officer in question will reflect the CM’s reactions to such cases,” Akhilesh said.The SP chief hoped that the CM would take penal action would not save his ‘blue eyed’ officer by claiming that the video was generated through AI. “Zoro tolerance should not only be towards crime and criminals but also towards officials who display such conduct,” Akhilesh said.Meanwhile, a four-member delegation of the Samajwadi Party visited Katariya village in Ghazipur on Tuesday and handed over a cheque for Rs 5 lakh to the father of the minor girl from the Vishkarma community who was allegedly raped and murdered – a charge which had not been corroborated by the post-mortem.Expressing satisfaction over Ghazipur district administration’s role in allowing the SP delegation to meet the family, Akhilesh said that the ex gratia to the family was a token of sorrow shared by the entire PDA community and the Samajwadi Party.“We will stand with the family to seek justice for their minor daughter. We will continue our struggle for the honour and dignity of the PDA community and do the needful against atrocities of people with feudal mindset on PDA members,” Akhilesh said.
