LUCKNOW: While the Allahabad High Court directed the UP police to provide security to Bareilly BJP MLA Rajesh Mishra’s daughter Sakshi Mishra, 23, and her husband Ajitesh Kumar, 29, who had tied the knot at a temple against the wishes of their parents early this month, Ajitesh was allegedly assaulted by a group of unidentified persons in black coat on court premises in Prayagraj on Monday.
However, the issue is finding an echo in the corridors of power in Lucknow. Taking cognizance of the matter, miffed UP CM Yogi Adityanath, on Monday, asked the senior BJP leaders of Bareilly and bureaucrats to send him a report on the entire episode especially in view of the conspiracy theory floated by the father of Sakshi.
BJP MLA from Bithari Chainpur Assembly constituency Rajesh Mishra alias Pappu Bhartaul had claimed it to be the handiwork of some of his rivals who allegedly wanted to tarnish his image. The MLA had hinted at the involvement of two other BJP leaders, one of them an MLA, in the conspiracy. Though the MLA did not name the two leaders, a WhatsApp chat between them has surfaced indicating to the conspiracy theory. The CM has sought a report on such allegations and their veracity.
In fact, the couple had been on the run since they made an announcement of their marriage by releasing a set of two videos to social media expressing threat to their life from girl’s father and had asked the SSP Bareilly to provide police protection to them. The couple had expressed fear of honour killing by the girl’s family as her husband came from Dalit family. The couple, subsequently, had moved the High Court last week to seek security.
In the meantime, hearing the case, the High Court single judge bench comprising Justice Sidhharth Verma provided a big relief to the distraught couple by holding their marriage valid and allowing them to live as man and wife. The court also asked the couple to get their marriage registered within a month’s time failing which court’s order would stand vacated automatically after a month.
The head priest of Prayagraj’s Ram Janki temple, where the couple entered the wedlock, had rejected their marriage certificate as false. The court adopted a tough stance while directing the state police authorities to ensure a security cover to the couple. The court delivered the order only after taking the academic certificates, birth certificates and marriage certificate produced by the couple into consideration to its satisfaction.
The police authorities were also asked to take the couple under security cover to the place of their choice.
At the time of the hearing, the couple was flanked by a few family members of Ajitesh and lawyers. Meanwhile, after the deliverance of the order, as the couple were coming out of the court premises, a few unidentified persons allegedly caught hold of Ajitesh and assaulted him. “The assault on my client proves the threat to their life,” said their lawyer who along with his colleagues rescued Ajitesh.
On the other, the Bareilly police reacting to Sakshi’s appeal had been looking for the couple in Noida to provide security since Sunday morning. The couple was, in fact, given security by Noida police on Sunday evening itself.