VARANASI:
Bhadohi’s
bahubali (strongman) politician,
Vijay Mishra, who faces a slew of cases and grabbed eyeballs for his escapades and multiple brushes with law, fled to Madhya Pradesh, where he was detained on Friday at Agar Malwa, 60km off Ujjain, where he reportedly offered prayers at Mahakal temple while on the run.
Mishra was crossing over to Rajasthan when he was picked up at Tanodiya village in MP’s Agar region on a tip-off by UP Police.
Elected from Gyanpur assembly constituency in Bhadohi on a NISHAD Party ticket, he went missing 48 hours after uploading a video on social media, saying he feared being eliminated in a police encounter as he was a Brahmin. His wife, Ramlali Mishra, an MLC from Bhadohi-Sonebhadra, too went missing on a day, her husband was nabbed in MP.
A UP Police team has left for Agar Malwa to take custody of Mishra.
SP: Mishra faces 73 cases, will be heldHe faces 73 cases and will be arrested and sent to jail, superintendent of police, Bhadohi, R B Singh told reporters on Friday. Mishra’s wife, Ramlali and son are also facing multiple charges and would be arrested, said police. Mishra’s daughter, Reema, told reporters on Friday that she feared her father could meet the same fate as Vikas Dubey, the Bikru gangster who was shot in an encounter while being escorted from Ujjain by UP Police.
“Police lodged an FIR against Mishra, his wife and son at Gopiganj police station on a complaint of his relative, Krishna Mohan Tiwari, for criminal intimidation, wrongful confinement to extort property, handing out death threats and other stringent sections of IPC,” said the SP. On July 18, Mishra was booked under Goonda Act for allegedly issuing threats to a contractor at Lalanagar toll plaza on National Highway-2 in Aurai area.
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Police records show Mishra faces 73 criminal cases in different districts of the state, including 10 cases which are being heard in MP/MLA court.
Mishra is known as a muscleman-politician of east UP region. After winning Gyanpur seat for three consecutive times, including 2012 election which he contested from jail, he was denied ticket by Samajwadi Party in 2017 assembly polls. He contested on a NISHAD Party ticket and emerged victorious for the fourth time.
On Wednesday, Mishra released a video claiming life threats to him and his family and feared he might be arrested or murdered. In the message, he alleged he along with his wife and son were being framed as he was a Brahmin. However, Bhadohi police refuted his claim, calling it an attempt to divert attention from criminal cases lodged against him.