UP BJP issues warning to MLA Surendra Singh for defending Ballia shootout accused
The Uttar Pradesh BJP leadership has warned party MLA Surendra Singh and asked him not to issue 'uncalled for statements on various issues'. The MLA, who has been openly defending the accused in the Ballia shootout case, was called to the state capital on Sunday evening to meet Uttar Pradesh BJP Chief Swatantra Dev Singh and party's Organising Secretary Sunil Bansal.
The development came hours after the Special Task Force (STF) arrested the main accused, Dhirendra Pratap Singh, from Lucknow in the Ballia incident.
Though Surendra Singh was not 'allowed' to meet media persons waiting outside the party office and was escorted to his car by party workers, sources said that he had been 'pulled up and warned' by the state leadership.
"He was told in clear terms that if he did not mend his way and stopped making controversial statements, the party would initiate action against him," said a party functionary.
Surendra Singh, who is known for making controversial remarks, maintained that he had come to the party office to present his side of the story. He refused to comment after the meeting.
Singh, who had openly defended the accused Dhirendra Singh, had claimed that the true account of the incident was not being presented by the media.
On Thursday, Dhirendra Pratap Singh had allegedly shot a 46-year-old man dead in an open meeting in the presence of officials after a dispute over allocation of two fair price shops in Ballia's Durjanpur village.
On Friday, the BJP MLA, who represents the Bairia Assembly constituency in Ballia district, had said that Dhirendra had fired in self-defence. He had claimed that if Dhirendra had not opened fire, dozens of women of his family would have been killed in the incident.
Surendra Singh also visited the Revati police station in Ballia and demanded that an FIR should be registered based on the application moved by Dhirendra Singh's female relatives who, he alleged, sustained injuries in stone-pelting during the Thursday incident.
He also took them to the district hospital and got their medical examination done.
Meanwhile, the family members of Jai Prakash Pal, who was allegedly shot dead by Dhirendra Singh, said that supporters of the accused were trying to frame them in a case.
Pal's elder brother Suraj Pal said, "Some people are trying to implicate us in a case. Be it the local MLA, or the supporters of the main accused, they are trying to implicate our family in a case. The government should help us. Jai Prakash used to manage the expenses of the family. The government should give a government job to a member of the family or should provide monetary assistance."
