RAIPUR: Amit Jogi, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi was arrested by Chhattisgarh police in Bilaspur on Tuesday for allegedly providing false information in the affidavit regarding his place and date of birth during the 2013 Assembly elections. Amit is state president of the regional outfit Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) floated by his father in June 2016.
Acting on the complaint of a BJP leader Samira Paikra, who lost to Amit Jogi in 2013 Assembly polls from the reserved scheduled tribe (ST) seat of Marwahi, police arrested the former CM's son.
After losing the 2013 polls, Paikra had filed an election petition in the Chhattisgarh High Court, challenging Amit Jogi's caste and place of birth. The high court dismissed the petition in January this year on the ground that the term of the Chhattisgarh Assembly (2013-2018) had already ended.
Earlier this year, on 3 February an FIR was registered against Amit Jogi under Section 420 of IPC (cheating and dishonesty) by Paikra at the Gaurella police station in Bilaspur. Paikra in her complaint said Amit Jogi allegedly submitted wrong information about his birthplace in the affidavit while filing his nomination papers for the 2013 state polls, Superintendent of Police Prashant Agrawal told PTI
"Amit Jogi was arrested from Marwahi Sadan in Bilaspur, based on the FIR lodged against him in February this year at Gaurela police station in the district," he said. He was booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), he said.
Reacting to his son's arrest, Ajit Jogi said, "It’s a political vendetta in action by the Bhupesh Baghel government against Amit."
Following the recent high-powered committee report probing the caste status of Ajit Jogi rejecting his claim as a ‘tribal’, Paikra along with her supporters staged a demonstration at the office of Bilaspur superintendent of police demanding the arrest of Amit Jogi for “giving false information regarding his place and date of birth in his affidavit”. "Now the panel also concluded he doesn't belong to tribal community", she asserted.
According to the Bilaspur police, Amit will be produced before the court.
Last week, an FIR was also registered against his 73- year-old father Ajit Jogi, who served as the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh, after a government-appointed committee rejected the latter's claim of being a tribal.
(With PTI inputs)