Former BSP MLA says even British weren’t as suppressive as the current UP govt

MEERUT: On his first hearing after being slapped with NSA and imprisoned for allegedly orchestrating violence during

Bharat Bandh Dalit

protests, former BSP MLA and husband of incumbent

Meerut

mayor, Yogesh Verma on Friday lashed out at the state and central governments and said that their tenure is worse than the British Raj.

“Even the British government wasn’t as suppressive as the current central and state governments. The worst form of vindictive politics has been unleashed on me. Hundreds of innocent people have been put into jails for no fault of theirs while the real perpetrators of crime are moving freely,” Verma said.

Meerut was one of the worst-affected districts during the Dalit agitation on April 2 to protest against the alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act by the Supreme Court. Several vehicles were torched and one person died in firing on that day. Two days later, Yogesh Verma was arrested for allegedly being the key conspirator of violence.

“Even after slapping the draconian NSA against me, the state administration is not satisfied and is planning to eliminate me in jail. I have learnt that I will be shifted to some other prison soon,” said Verma.

Meanwhile, Meerut mayor

Sunita Verma

said that the process is already on to approach the high court against the UP government’s witch-hunting. Speaking to TOI, she said, “The state government has used the April 2 violence as an excuse to frame my husband because it could not digest that a BSP worker became the mayor of the city. We have already initiated the process of petitioning the Allahabad HC to get justice in the matter and secure his release.”