Congress protest over arrest of ex-DSP in UP

Lucknow, Sep 26: The Uttar Pradesh Congress unit has strongly protested on the arrest of party's task force on Right to Information (RTI) chief Shailendra Singh.

State police had arrested the former police officer in the early hours from his house at Gomti Nagar today for creating a ruckus at the State Information Commissioner(SIC) office yesterday.

Additional Superintendent of Police(east) Harish Kumar said the former DSP was arrested as he led a group to ransack the office of the SIC, a constitutional organisation. Cases under section 143,147,149 and 353 of the IPC and seven criminal law Amendment were registered against him.

Mr Kumar said efforts were on to nab the other people who were with Mr Singh during the time of the attack.

Mr Singh was being produced in the court after medical check up, the police said.

The Congress has criticised the BSP government for arresting the party leader ''fighting for the cause of the people.'' State Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said when an ex- police officer could meet such action, what would be the situation for the common people in this regime.

The party leaders have also took strong exception on the police atrocities on the family members of the former DSP and on the way police broke open the door of the residence of Mr Singh to arrest him at about 0200 hrs.

Mr Singh was charged with violence when he along with other members of his cell went to the SIC and raised slogans against one of the commissioner V K Mishra, who recently passed an order that any RTI application on the pad of any political party would not be entertained.

UNI