UP: Akhilesh attacks CM Adityanath over 'bribery' involving IPS officer
What's the story
A fresh political controversy has erupted in Uttar Pradesh after Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday tweeted a video of an IPS officer demanding money from a businessman.
In the tweet, he asked whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Yogi Adityanath government would take "bulldozer" action against the officer.
The clip shows the officer asking someone to arrange for Rs. 20 lakh.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The SP has frequently used "bulldozer politics" to attack the BJP, portraying it as an example of the BJP's dictatorship.
Both have also clashed over the murder of Umesh Pal, a key witness to the 2005 assassination of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal.
Besides the new controversy, these parties have had numerous verbal spats on a variety of topics in the past.
Details
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh shared controversial video
On Sunday, SP leader Yadav shared an old video of Anirudh Singh, an IPS officer in the Uttar Pradesh Police, who is reportedly stationed in Varanasi.
In a video chat, he is allegedly heard asking someone to arrange for Rs. 20 lakh. The video was allegedly shot while Singh was posted in the Meerut district.
Statement
'Will the direction of bulldozers change': Yadav mocks UP government
"After this video of an IPS demanding money in UP, will the direction of bulldozers change toward him, or will the BJP government get rid of the matter by adding one more name to the list of absconding IPS?" Yadav tweeted alongside 10-second clip of the video.
"The people of UP are seeing the reality of the BJP's zero-tolerance towards crime," he added.
Twitter Post
Video shared by Akhilesh Yadav on Twitter
उप्र में एक आईपीएस की वसूली के इस वीडियो के बाद क्या बुलडोज़र की दिशा उनकी तरफ़ बदलेगी या फिर फ़रार आईपीएस की सूची में एक नाम और जोड़कर संलिप्त भाजपा सरकार ये मामला भी रफ़ा-दफ़ा करवा देगी।
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) March 12, 2023
उप्र की जनता देख रही है कि ये है अपराध के प्रति भाजपा की झूठी ज़ीरो टालरेंस की सच्चाई। pic.twitter.com/JsMAhzRFPU
Probe
Probe ordered into allegations; police commissioner asked to submit report
Meanwhile, a probe into the bribery allegations and the video's contents has been launched.
According to a statement released by the director general of police (DGP) for Uttar Pradesh, the Varanasi police commissioner has been ordered to submit a report.
In response to Yadav's tweet, the Meerut Police stated that the video was nearly two years old and had nothing to do with Meerut.