A video of Apna Dal (Soneylal) president and Union Minister Anupriya Patel slamming the Uttar Pradesh Police is going viral. Anupriya Patel accused the police of taking no action on a complaint of assault on a member of her party. The attackers even threatened to kidnap the daughter of the victim, who reportedly hails from Mirzapur.
Apna Dal is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the NDA.
“Itni gundagardi hogi zile mein [Will goons rule the district now],” she’s heard asking the police personnel at the hospital where the victim is admitted. She asked the police if an FIR was lodged or if any action was taken, to which the cops replied in the negative.
केंद्रीय मंत्री अनुप्रिया पटेल यूपी पुलिस पर बिफर गयी
मंत्री जी कहना मिर्ज़ापुर की पुलिस ड्रग्स बिकवाने में संलीपत है #mirzapur #anupriyapatel pic.twitter.com/yNyF2xFMNf
— Rakesh pal (@Rakeshpal1998) November 20, 2024
‘What Is UP Government Doing’
Anupriya Patel said that despite the attack occurring nearly 24 hours ago, no action was taken. “What is the UP government doing? Will goons kidnap girls at will and you stand silently and watch the drama?… There is no complaint, nor there is a medical report. Maybe if this person had died, you would have made a move. This is shameful,” she slammed the police. Patel also warned that she would escalate the matter to the Chief Minister if the police failed to respond promptly.
After the rebuke, three suspects were arrested on Tuesday after Anupriya Patel issued a stern two-hour deadline to the police, demanding immediate action against those responsible for the attack.
She accused the Vindhyachal police of negligence, claiming they were more focused on “facilitating” drug trafficking than addressing criminal activity. Patel also slammed the enforcement of Uttar Pradesh’s much-touted “zero-tolerance” policy against crime.
#WATCH | Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh | Union Minister Anupriya Patel says, “…Some people entered our worker’s house and drank alcohol and when they were stopped from doing so, they forcibly took away his daughter. When the father objected, he was beaten up… The Uttar Pradesh… pic.twitter.com/lu3qri2Zh5
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) November 19, 2024
What Was The Mirzapur Incident?
The attack occurred on the night of November 18 in Kuraihi village, under the Gopura outpost of Vindhyachal police station. Ajay Patel, a sector president of Apna Dal (S), and his wife Bindu were reportedly assaulted by goons. The miscreants allegedly forced their way into their house. According to the family, the attackers also attempted to abduct their daughter.
Family members claimed the altercation began when they stopped the accused from drinking alcohol on their premises. Enraged, the goons returned in an intoxicated state, attacked Ajay Patel, and tried to kidnap his daughter.
Following her intervention, the Vindhyachal police registered an FIR and arrested three of the seven accused. Inspector CP Pandey of Vindhyachal police station confirmed that the FIR was filed based on a widely circulated video. The case includes charges under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rioting, causing hurt, house trespass, and kidnapping.
Akhilesh Yadav Takes Dig At BJP Government
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a jab at the BJP government over the incident. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Yadav remarked, “The honourable minister had to question her own government’s so-called zero-tolerance policy when it came to her party worker. She should have asked, ‘Where is the double-engine government?’”
“She probably forgot that her own people are also a part of the government,” Akhilesh Yadav jibed.