History sheets of 3-time SP MLA, son ‘burnt’ in police station

AGRA/FIROZABAD: In 2007, after Mayawati took over as chief minister in Uttar Pradesh, she had directed police to look into grave charges against SP MLA Hariom Yadav and his son Vijay Pratap. The documents listing these cases were readied in 2009, with seven cases against their names.
In 2013, a year after Akhilesh Yadav formed the SP government, both documents were mysteriously burnt at Shikohabad police station, allegedly in the presence of senior police officers.The records have been missing since then from the police station. Notices have now gone out to police officers who were then at the station, seeking their replies.
“It is ridiculous that something like this could have happened inside a police station," a senior officer said. Meanwhile, Hariom Yadav, who is still an SP MLA, from Sirsaganj, said, "The cases were politically motivated. I have no information about when and how the police records were destroyed."
The case came to light during the annual inspection of Shikohabad police station in April this year. Superintendent of police (SP) Ajay Kumar noted that the records were missing and ordered an inquiry. For the last two months, not much progress was made.
Now newly-appointed SP (city) RK Singh has started the investigation and issued notices to then circle officer Sanjay Yadav and station officer BK Tiwari, asking them to record their statements. According to sources, the records were burnt on April 19, 2013 in the presence of senior police officials. The statement of the head clerk of the police station has already been recorded in this matter.
Interestingly, the names of one Amit Kumar alias Rocky and Anshul Gupta have replaced the serial numbers under which Hariom Yadav and Vijay Pratap were mentioned earlier in the history sheet log book.
Although the police are tight-lipped about criminal cases registered against the father-son duo, according to a self-sworn affidavit filed by the MLA, there are seven cases registered against him including criminal intimidation and rioting.
SP (city) RK Singh said, “We are looking into the circumstances in which records were destroyed and on whose instructions. The senior superintendent of police (SSP) or SP has the power under the Police Manual to open or close someone’s history sheet. So far we have not come across any such order regarding the present case.”
Hariom Yadav had become MLA from the Shikohabad seat in 2002 on an SP ticket. He later won UP assembly elections in 2012 and 2017 from Sirsaganj assembly constituency.
Vijay Pratap was elected unopposed as zila panchayat president in 2016. Last week, 21 out of 33 panchayat members had submitted a no-confidence motion against him with the district administration seeking his removal from the post.