ONE THOUSAND CRORE RUPEES TARGETTED FOR MAYA'S BDAY

Collecting funds for Maya’s b’day, MLA kills engineer
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Agencies
Posted: Dec 24, 2008 at 1436 hrs IST
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Auraiya An executive engineer of the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department was beaten to death allegedly by a BSP MLA and his supporters after he is believed to have refused to pay them a huge sum for birthday celebrations of Chief Minister Mayawati next month.
BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari and his two associates – Manoj Tyagi and another surnamed Bhatia -- forcibly entered the house of engineer M K Gupta at Gail Vihar Colony in Diviapur police circle here last night and started beating him up severely, according to a report lodged with the police by his wife Shashi Gupta.

It said they locked Shashi in a bathroom and continued beating her husband and later left the seriously injured engineer at Diviapur police station in the district, about 100 kms from Kanpur. Gupta was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.

"An FIR under various sections of the IPC, including 302 (murder), has been lodged against the MLA and his two associates at Diviapur police station," said Station House Officer Hoshiyar Singh.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Brijlal said in Lucknow that the MLA called up the police station at around 3 am saying a man was indulging in "hooliganism" and that action should be taken against him.

"The MLA later left the seriously injured engineer at the police station at around 3.30 am and went away. An FIR is being registered against the MLA and others and the guilty will not be spared," he told reporters. "We are looking for Tiwari, who is absconding," he said.

Though police refused to comment on the motive of the murder saying that investigation was on in the case, family members of Gupta alleged that Rs 50 lakh was demanded from him by the MLA as donation for celebrations of party chief Mayawati's birthday falling on January 15.

Senior police officials, including the Inspector General and the DIG of Kanpur Zone, have reached the spot to probe the incident. Police sources said that the issue of how the police personnel dealt with the situation would also be looked into.

Protesting against the incident, PWD engineers across the state have decided to go on a strike, UP Engineers Association General Secretary S S Niranjan said.

The engineers have demanded that a compensation of Rs 25 lakh be paid to the family of the deceased and his wife be given pension equivalent to the last salary drawn by him, he said. The engineers have also sought an assurance from the government that adequate security would be provided in future to the field staff.

Demanding the immediate arrest of Tiwari, Samajwadi Party state president Shivpal Singh Yadav alleged that a target of collecting Rs 1000 crore was set by the Chief Minister for party MPs, MLAs and ministers.

Terming Auraiya incident as a result of "pressure" on BSP leaders to collect money to meet the target for Mayawati's birthday, Yadav claimed that even police officers were involved in "extorting" money for the event.

"The occurrence of Auraiya-like incidents will continue in the state if the Chief minister herself keeps setting targets for collecting money for her," he said.