Sharad Yadav complains to Election Commission about tainted police officials

New Delhi, Jan 23 (ANI): Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief Sharad Yadav on Monday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) and demanded removal of those police officials from duty, who were responsible for the killing of two locals in the twin villages of Bhatta and Parsaul in Greater Noida.

Yadav, who along with a team of politicians complained to the Election Commission, expressed their despair of being threatened by police officials, as they campaign during the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Yadav later told reporters that they pressed their demand for the removal of those officers from election duty, against whom the Allahabad High Court had ordered an enquiry.

"The officers who were present at the time of the violence that took place in Bhatta Parsaul and against whom cases have been filed, all of them are stationed there and it is useless to expect that elections would be held in a free and fair manner under them. We had come here to complain to the election commission, that those people, against whom the High Court has ordered an enquiry, the same officers were present during the episode in Bhatta Parsaul and under their leadership innocent people were killed," said Yadav.

"No FIR was filed against those who had killed two people. In that whole area of 25-30 kilometers, no one is prepared to lodge an FIR of any man. It is worthless to expect that the elections would be conducted in a free and affair manner," he added.

In May last year, the twin villages of Bhatta-Parsaul witnessed violent clashes between the police and farmers, who protested against the land acquisition policies of the Uttar Pradesh Government.

Uttar Pradesh polls are being viewed as an opportunity for major parties to re-establish their foothold in the country's fifth largest and most populous state.

Polls in Uttar Pradesh are to be conducted in seven phases between February 8 and March 3. The counting of votes would take place on March 6.

Uttar Pradesh will elect a new 403-member state assembly in March, and the poll results are expected to broadly indicate trends for the 2014 general elections. (ANI)