Varun charged with attempt to murder, rioting

Pilibhit, Mar 29 (PTI) Varun Gandhi, a young leader of
India's main oposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and
party's Lok Sabha candidate, was slapped with fresh charges
Sunday by the police including attempt to murder, a
non-bailable offence, in connection with Saturday' violence
involving his supporters around the district jail following
his arrest.

Varun's mother Maneka Gandhi visited the district jail
where the BJP nominee from Pilibhit has been lodged and
alleged that the registration of cases were part of a
"political conspiracy". Coming to the defence of her son who
was arrested after he surrendered amid high drama, Maneka said
the cases were "frivolous".

Besides being booked under Section 307 IPC (attempt to
murder), the 29-year-old scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family was
also hit with charges under sections 147, 148 and 149 (rioting
and related offences), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter
public servant from his duty), 336 (doing any act that
endangers human life or the personal safety of others).

Varun also faced charges under certain sections of IPC
relating to public safety and certain state acts after his
supporters clashed with the police, officials said. Today's
charges came on top of earlier charges of "inciting religious
hatred" in his alleged anti-Muslim speeches.

Varun, along with Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Kalraj Mishra,
local MLA Sukhlal and former party MLA B K Gupta, have also
been named in another FIR registered for violation
of prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC yesterday when
the BJP candidate courted arrest in a case related to his
alleged anti-Muslim speeches, Kotwali police sources said.
Police also maintained a close vigil in this district.

The FIR relating to rioting and other charges has been
filed by Pilibhit district jailor Mukesh Arora against Varun
and his supporters after BJP activists fought a pitched battle
with the police and laid a siege of the jail premises.

Meanwhile, Pilibhit District Magistrate Ashok Chauhan
discounted the allegation of BJP MP and Varun's mother Maneka
Gandhi that a Muslim officer(Parvez Mian) had injured several
of supporters and said he was not deployed there.

Chauhan said ,"I strictly don't agree with the comments
of Maneka Gandhi. The person she is naming was not at all
deployed at that place.

"We checked the records and we were careful about his
deployment. He was at another place and the allegation is
totally false," he said.
Maneka Gandhi told NDTV that the police officer, whom she
charged with having injured several BJP supporters, was
"definitely there".
"He was definitely there, there has been written
testimony. These people who have testified have nothing
against him. They are all very poor people, most of them are
illiterate," she said.

Parvez Mian himself rejected as absolutely wrong Maneka's
allegations and said his duty was in nearby Barkheda
yesterday. "My seniors will decide now. They will anwser her
allegations," he said, adding he has no intention of
clarifying things." PTI TEAM
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