2009 Chitrakoot Rioting Case: UP Court Sentences Banda BJP MP RK Singh Patel To 1 Year In Jail

A court in Uttar Pradesh last week convicted and sentenced BJP MP (from Banda District), RK Singh Patel to 1 year in jail in connection with a case registered against him in 2009 for taking out a juloos, halting a train, blocking public roads, and pelting stones at police personnel during a protest against the State Government.

A total of 19 people involved in the incident have been found guilty by the Chitrakoot chief judicial magistrate Sanjay Kumar. While Patel and 15 others have been awarded a 1-year jail term, 3 others have been awarded a 1-month jail term.

The case pertains to the year 2009, when Patel was a Samajwadi Party MP and he, along with about 150 workers blocked the roads and even halted a Passenger train while protesting against the policies of the then Bahujan Samaj Party-led state government. They all had also pelted stones at the police personnel on duty.

The court concluded that the evidence led by the prosecution was proved beyond a reasonable doubt and hence, the punishment as aforesaid was awarded to the convicts.

"It is clear from the evidence led by the prosecution witnesses that the procession led by Patel, went berserk at Patel Tiraha, where stones were pelted resulting in injuries to the members of the police force. Stones may have been pelted by any member of the procession which was an unlawful assembly, but all the members of the unlawful assembly are responsible for the same. Accused Veer Singh Patel, Nirbhay Singh, Shakti Pratap Singh Tomar, and Satyanarayan Patel, came from the side of the Railway Line and accused Bhaiyalal Yadav, Raj Bahadur, Gauri Shankar Mishra, Bholanath Khangar, Kuber Patel, Vinay Prakash Pandey, Harigopal alias Bablu, Narendra Gupta, Kamal Maurya, and Manoj Singh met at Dhaturaha crossing after coming from the SP office. All the above accused reached Patel Tiraha and pelted stones in a furious manner along with other activists, which caused injuries to the members of the police force..." the Court recorded in its judgment.

Further, the Court, after considering the evidence put before it, concluded that stopping the train by protesting, jamming the train track, obstructing the traffic on the way, and pelting stones at the police force deployed in the performance of duties of maintaining peace and order, the said procession/juloos came under the category of unlawful assembly, warranting the punishment.

Click Here To Read/Download the Judgment/Order