Lucknow: Congress leader Talat Aziz, a petitioner in the 19-year-old murder case in which her security officer Satya Prakash Yadav was gunned down, has alleged that she and her family are being threatened ever since a sessions court ordered notice against Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, the then member of Parliament from Gorakhpur.
Aziz, who was a Samajwadi Party leader when the incident happened, on Wednesday said her husband is also being implicated in false cases. Speaking to media at the UPCC Office in Lucknow, Aziz said, “My family members and I have been receiving threat calls since the case was reopened. I have been fighting against Yogi Adityanath since the time he was an extremely powerful MP. Now that he has become CM, his influence has grown manifold. From having connections in the government, Yogi is now the government himself, I feel unsafe,” she added.
“I am fighting for the justice of Satya Prakash Yadav who gave his life for his duty and saved my life. The incident is still vivid in my mind.”
However, the Bhariya Janata Party has said that the allegations are politically inspired and meant to defame CM Yogi Adityanath. "The allegations are all politically inspired and meant to defame CM Adityanath because of his increasing popularity. They (opposition parties) are trying to get political mileage,” BJP spokesperson Dr Chandramohan told News18 on Wednesday.
“The case was earlier investigated and closed by CB-CID, but now some people are raising the issue again for political mileage. We have a firm belief in the judiciary of our country," Chandramohan
Voicing support for Aziz, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief Raj Babbar said, “Talat Aziz is a strong lady and she has been fighting for justice for 19 years. Now she is being threatened since the case has reopened. People who have been raising voice against CM Yogi Adityanath are being implicated in one case or the other.”
According to the police files, Satya Prakash Yadav was killed during a protest in Maharajganj when a group, allegedly led by Yogi Adityanath, opened fire on the agitators.
Aziz’s plea to reopen the case was turned down by a Sessions Court in March this year, soon after which she filed a review petition at the Lucknow High Court, which, in turn, directed the Sessions Court to reopen the trial.
Now, the Sessions Court in Maharajganj has ordered that a notice be issued to the accused, including Yogi Adityanath and others, for further trial in the case. The court has also given a week’s time for Adityanath to respond to the notice.
With politics heating up ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, this two-decade old case can ruffle feathers. Opposition parties Samajwadi Party and Congress have already started demanding Adityanath’s resignation from the post of chief minister, saying the trial and victims may get influenced politically.
Samajwadi Party spokesperson Sunil Singh Sajan had earlier said, “We all know our chief minister has some serious charges against him and now even the honourable court has directed to issue a notice against him in the 19-year-old murder case. We demand immediate resignation of CM Yogi Adityanath as he could influence the trial if it starts and can also harm the victims.”
Echoing similar sentiments, UP Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi had stated: “Both the chief minister and deputy chief minister have some serious cases registered against them, which they were trying to get away with by terming them as politically motivated. We are thankful to the court for taking action in this case and the notice order.”
“Till the time trial is on, the CM must step down from his post, else the victims can be threatened and influenced. It is a pity that BJP that has more than 300 MLAs, could not find a person with a clean record for the post of the chief minister,” he added.
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