Lucknow, October 21
In a dramatic development Jitendra Yadav, a Mau resident, met Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today to give a clean chit to Independent Mau MLA and muscleman Mukhtar Ansari in the case of his (Yadav) younger brother’s murder.
Charging the Mau police of falsely implicating Ansari in the killing of his younger brother Ram Pratap Yadav on October, 14, the first day of violence, Jitendra said it was only on the next day that he learnt that it was on the basis of his complaint that the police had lodged an FIR under Section 302 of the IPC against the MLA.
A formal FIR was filed against Mukhtar Ansari in police station Kotwali on October 18. Since then the Mau police was reportedly been looking for the MLA.
Accompanied by Mukhtar Ansari’s brother Afzal Ansari, Jitendra arrived in Lucknow to hand over a written application to the Chief Minister in which he has charged a Shimla resident Haji Vakil Ahmad for being responsible for his younger brother’s killing on the day violence broke out in Mau.
According to Jitendra the Mau Kotwali police had summoned him to enquire about his brother’s killing. “When I told them the name of the accused, they wanted to know if MLA Mukhtar Ansari was also present. I told them clearly that he was nowhere on the scene. That is when they made me sign on a blank piece of paper and asked me to return home”, Jitendra alleged in his letter to the CM.
Commenting on the U-turn by the main complainant, Home Secretary Alok Sinha maintained that it was of no special significance, as charges would be framed according to prima facie evidence. On the third consecutive day curfew was relaxed only for the women and children from 2.30 p.m. onwards to help them buy grocery and other necessary items. The curfew would be re-imposed later, said Mr Sinha.
Men in Mau have been huddled inside their houses for exactly a week now.
Even the Friday prayers could not be held. “The peace committee had decided that in view of the delicate situation Muslim men would not congregate for the ritual Friday prayers, said Mr Sinha.
