Five Samajwadi Party workers arrested for indecent sloganeering against Uttar Pradesh minister

BALLIA (UTTAR PRADESH): Five Samajwadi Party workers were on Monday arrested for allegedly indulging in indecent sloganeering against Uttar Pradesh Sports Minister Upendra Tiwari, police said. The state police had on Sunday registered a case against 10 people, including a newly-elected chairperson of zila panchayat and his father, for allegedly indulging in indecent sloganeering against Tiwari.

"Five SP workers -- Shailendra Yadav, Manish Yadav, Tinkal Singh, Shivpal Singh and Vikas Kumar Ojha have been arrested from the party's office today (Monday)," Addl SP (Ballia) Sanjay Yadav said.

Newly-elected Ballia zila panchayat chairperson Anand Chaudhary, his father Ambika Chaudhary and hundreds of unidentified people were booked by police, Yadav said. He added that one of the accused was arrested on Sunday.

According to police, a video in which SP workers can be purportedly seen indulging in sloganeering against Tiwari went viral on social media following which BJP leaders of the district met the Ballia SP Vipin Tada at his residence.

Meanwhile, Tiwari had alleged that the SP workers had abused his mother and sister. "In the video, expletives were hurled at my mother and sister. Ambika Chaudhary is trying to join the SP through his son. In 75 districts of the state, elections for the zila panchayat chairpersons were held, but this situation did not come up in the 74 other districts," the minister had said.

Reacting to the charges levelled against him, Ambika Chaudhary said, "Tiwari had hurled expletives at my family members, but I did not say anything. Yesterday, after the elections, we came back home directly from the collectorate. My son Anand also reached home in police protection, and no victory procession was taken out by us."

He said that Samajwadi Party leaders were framed in a fake case to defame the party.