The Uttar Pradesh Police have filed a case against Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s personal assistant for allegedly issuing death threats and using casteist remarks against party member Archana Gautam, PTI reported on Wednesday.
The police in Meerut filed a first information report against Sandeep Singh based on a complaint filed by Archana Gautam’s father Gautam Buddha. According to the complaint, the incident took place at the Congress convention held at Raipur on February 26.
Singh had allegedly hurled casteist slurs against Archana Gautam and also forced her to leave the venue when she requested to meet Vadra. The complaint alleged that Singh did not allow her to go to the podium to greet the Congress general secretary.
During a Facebook live session on February 26, Archana Gautam said she did not understand why the Congress was “keeping such people who are gnawing on the party”, the Hindustan Times reported. She alleged: “The messages from many workers like me do not reach [to Priyanka Gandhi] because of Sandeep Singh.”
On Tuesday, the Meerut Police booked Sandeep Singh under sections 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and under sections 3(1)(d) and 3(1) of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, reported the Hindustan Times.
The case has been filed at Meerut’s Partapur police station, Senior Superintendent of Police Rohit Singh Sajwan said, according to The Indian Express.
“But since the incident has happened at Chhattisgarh, the case will be shifted to that state for further action,” he said. “Archana’s father has given us his complaint and we lodged the FIR. But now the onus will be on the Chhattisgarh police to ensure justice to his daughter.”
Archana Gautam had unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on a Congress ticket from Meerut’s Hastinapur constituency.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!