RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Congress MLA Devendra Yadav was arrested on Saturday evening at his residence in Bhilai in connection with the probe into the violence and arson that occurred on June 10 in Baloda Bazar district. The arrest followed a protest from Congress cadres and supporters at Bhilai and political drama before Yadav was taken into custody.
The district police chief, Vijay Agrawal, reported that Yadav has been charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 109, 120B, 153A, 147, 148, 149, 186, 332, 353, 341, 427, 435, 436, 501, and 505. The MLA has been sent to a three-day judicial remand by Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Rajesh Khakha, who oversaw the proceedings in Baloda Bazar, about 70 km from Raipur.
So far, 179 individuals involved in the Baloda Bazar violence have been arrested. Yadav, a two-time Congress MLA who contested the Lok Sabha polls from Bilaspur earlier this year, had been summoned thrice for interrogation but failed to appear. Instead, he requested the police to visit him at his residence for questioning.
The violence, which involved massive protests by the Satnami Community (Scheduled Caste), resulted in the destruction of the collectorate building, the burning of hundreds of vehicles, and extensive damage to public property.
Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel criticized the police and government response, stating, “There has been no arrest of a single BJP worker nor anyone from the ruling party being interrogated in the matter. The Congress leaders are being unjustly targeted. The police should not function under government pressure.”
In response, State Home Minister Vijay Sharma defended the arrest, stating it was due to Yadav’s lack of cooperation with the investigation.
Following the incident, a single-member judicial commission, headed by former Chhattisgarh High Court Justice C.B. Bajpai, was established on June 14 to investigate the matter. The commission is expected to submit its report within three months.