Non-bailable warrant against six Samajwadi party leaders for burning Maya effigy

BAREILLY: A Bareilly court on Wednesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against six Samajwadi party leaders for burning the effigy of then chief minister Mayawati at Sanjay Nagar trisection on March 18, 2011.
Issuing the warrant, the court of additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) (I) Shakti Singh directed the station officer of Baradari to arrest and produce them in court by October 14, after the accused did not turn up in response to summons and a warrant in the matter.
The non-bailable warrant was issued for former city president of SP Kadir Ahmed, city general secretary Pramod Bist, former deputy mayor Khalid, former spokesperson of Bareilly College Naseem Akhtar, Mahesh Chand Yadav and students’ union president Naresh Yadav, after they failed to appear in court on earlier occasions.
The incident had occurred at a time when SP workers had set ablaze hundreds of effigies and images of the then chief minister in villages, towns and cities across the state, in protest against her alleged dictatorial style of administration. The burning of effigies had followed a three-day agitation against her regime by SP members. Then SP state president Akhilesh Yadav, now chief minister, had also been put under house arrest in Lucknow.
Sub-inspector Anil Kumar at Model Town police outpost under Baradari police station had filed a report under United Provinces Special Powers Act, 1932, against all six SP leaders allegedly involved in the burning of an effigy of the BSP chief. Kumar completed his investigation in 2011 and filed a charge sheet in the matter in court.
A summon and warrant were later issued, but despite more than five years elapsing, the SP leaders did not appear in court. Following non-compliance by them, the court issued the non-bailable warrant and ordered the police to arrest them and produce them in court by the stipulated date.