Traders issue 24hr ultimatum to police over FIR against chief

Pilibhit: Leaders of various trade and business community outfits issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the district police administration on Saturday, demanding the expunction of an FIR filed against Anoop Agrawal, district president of the Udyog Vyapar Pratinidhi Mandal.

The FIR was lodged by BJP city president Indresh Singh Chauhan, at Sungarhi police station on Friday, in which he alleged that Agrawal and his colleague, Nirmit Agrawal, snatched his gold chain and Rs 50,000 in cash, while threatening him with a pistol. The complaint was filed against 10 individuals under multiple sections of the BNS, following a clash between the sides during the demolition of a part of Agrawal's residential property, which was undertaken as part of a municipal council road construction project contracted to Chauhan.

State vice president of the outfit, Hansraj Gulati, alleged that the police declined to lodge an FIR against Chauhan when a written complaint was produced by a victim of the clash. He warned of an indefinite district-wide closure of all markets if the police failed to address the demands of the traders.

Meanwhile, police summoned Anoop and Nirmit Agrawal for questioning on Saturday. ASP, Vikram Dahiya, said the police administration was not concerned about the warnings of the traders. "Police will act transparently in the matter within the framework of the law. Preliminary investigation has not proven the allegations of loot against Chauhan," he said.