Lucknow: The "indecent video" of a Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer, who was deputed as an election observer for the assembly polls in West Bengal, has gone viral on social media, tarnishing the image of the Uttar Pradesh government and administration, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav said in a statement on Tuesday.
Akhilesh's comments on the viral video
Akhilesh's remarks came hours after Trinamool Congress MP Mohua Moitra posted a video on social media, claiming it showed UP cadre IPS Ajay Sharma, who was deputed for the West Bengal polls. In the video, the officer is purportedly seen enjoying the dance of women at a dimly lit venue. The TMC MP's social media post was in response to videos of the IPS officer visiting a locality in the poll-bound state and threatening a TMC candidate's supporters if there were any complaints of them intimidating voters.
"The conduct of this particular IPS officer is not an exception under the BJP government in UP. The video exposes the hollowness of BJP's calls for 'Mahila Samman' and 'Nari Vandana'. The video has left women wondering about the state of affairs where such an officer is in charge of their security and safety," Akhilesh said.
Demand for strict action
The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said it remains to be seen how long it will take before the officer is suspended or his services are terminated. "This episode is directly linked to the CM's image. The nature and extent of action against the officer in question will reflect the CM's reactions to such cases," Akhilesh said.
The SP chief hoped that the chief minister would take penal action and not save his 'blue-eyed' officer by claiming that the video was generated through AI. "Zero tolerance should not only be towards crime and criminals but also towards officials who display such conduct," Akhilesh added.
SP delegation visits victim's family in Ghazipur
Meanwhile, a four-member delegation of the Samajwadi Party visited Katariya village in Ghazipur on Tuesday and handed over a cheque for Rs 5 lakh to the father of a minor girl from the Vishkarma community who was allegedly raped and murdered – a charge that has not been corroborated by the post-mortem.
Expressing satisfaction over the Ghazipur district administration's role in allowing the SP delegation to meet the family, Akhilesh said the ex gratia payment was a token of sorrow shared by the entire PDA community and the Samajwadi Party. "We will stand with the family to seek justice for their minor daughter. We will continue our struggle for the honour and dignity of the PDA community and do the needful against atrocities of people with feudal mindset on PDA members," Akhilesh said.
