Uttar Pradesh Minister Radhey Shyam Singh was booked on Saturday for allegedly threatening to set a journalist on fire for not supporting him in the ongoing polls in the state, PTI reported. Singh is contesting from Kushinagar constituency for the Samajwadi Party, which will go into polls on March 4. Singh is the agriculture and medical education minister in the UP Cabinet.

Journalist Manoj Kumar Giri, who works with a Hindi daily, has submitted the recording of the telephonic conversation during which the minister had threatened him. He told the police that Singh had called him on his mobile phone and accused Giri of canvassing against the minister, reported The Indian Express. Singh then threatened that he will set Giri and his office on fire after the elections, the journalist said.

Singh had earlier threatened to rape a government official’s daughter when his henchmen were not awarded a contractual work, Times Now reported.