Video of UP Police officer demanding bribe goes viral, Akhilesh Yadav targets Adityanath government

After an old video of an Uttar Pradesh police officer allegedly demanding a bribe from a businessman was widely shared on social media on Sunday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the Adityanath-led government’s claims of having “zero tolerance” for crime in the state.

The Indian Police Service officer seen in the video has been identified as Anirudh Singh, who is currently posted in Meerut, reported PTI. On Sunday, the Uttar Pradesh Police claimed that the video of Singh was over two years old. Singh was posted in Varanasi when the video was shot, reports said.

“After this video of an IPS demanding money in UP, will the bulldozers change their course towards him or will the BJP government get rid of the matter by adding one more name to the list of absconding IPS?” Yadav asked on Twitter.

He was referring to the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to destroy properties of alleged offenders using bulldozers.

Several BJP-run state governments have also normalised the use of bulldozers as a punitive action even as there is no legal provision to destroy the property of anyone accused of an offence. Most of these drives were targeted at properties owned by Muslims.

On Sunday, the Meerut Police claimed in a tweet that the video was more than two years old and an inquiry against Singh had been completed.

The Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police said in a statement that the contents of the video is being investigated.

“The said case is two years old, but in view of the seriousness of the case, the police headquarters has inquired about it from Commissioner Varanasi, the current posting of the officer and sought a report within three days,” it said.

The UP Police chief’s office also said that another investigation has been launched against Singh’s wife, also an IPS officer, over allegations of not paying rent to her landlord.

“We have come to know that Aarti Singh has paid her rent and there is no outstanding balance, but the police headquarters has asked Commissioner Varanasi to probe the matter and give his report within three days,” it said, according to PTI.