Bragging political links, SP leader's nephew slaps police officer

A nephew of Uttar Pradesh legislative council chairman and Samajwadi Party leader Ramesh Yadav on Wednesday slapped a sub-inspector inside a police station in Etah after he was held for allegedly assaulting hospital staffers who refused give in to his demand for "VIP treatment".

Bragging of his political links, Mohit Yadav, who was said to be in an inebriated state, was also caught on camera hurling abuses at the cops in the incident, prompting rival Bharatiya Janata Party to accuse the Samajwadi Party of suffering from "hangover" of power.

"Mohit Yadav is my name...," said the 24-year-old, before slapping sub-inspector Jitendra Kumar. He was immediately arrested and charged with assault and obstructing an official from carrying out his duty.

Mohit, who is unemployed, had visited a hospital with a relative and "demanded VIP treatment" for an X-ray, refusing to wait for their turn, hospital staff alleged.

When he was refused, he allegedly assaulted a lab technician and a doctor. The hospital called in the cops. When he was brought to the police station, he abused Kumar and hit him before being overpowered.

Mohit shouted abuses and threats at other police officers, expecting better treatment because he was the nephew of the Samajwadi Party lawmaker of the area in Etah. As police officers rushed to control him, he grabbed the collar of one of them.

"It seems he was under the influence of alcohol. He claimed to be the Legislative Council Chairman's nephew and was asking for this and that and misbehaved with the hospital staff. He misbehaved with the police officers too," a senior police officer said.

Distancing himself from his nephew's actions, Ramesh Yadav said, "He will be beaten if he slaps policemen.... I have nothing to do with it."

"I was not there. I am in Lucknow," Yadav said, and even described Mohit as a "brat".

Incidents of political leaders and their kin flaunting their links to get their way are not new. Just days earlier, a ruling BJP MLA publicly snubbed a woman IPS officer in Gorakhpur, leaving her in tears. But the ruling party was on Wednesday quick to target the Samajwadi Party over the incident involving Mohit Yadav.

"They are yet to come out of their hangover. They should realise that gone are the days of Samajwadi Party's hooliganism," BJP spokesperson Shalabhmani Tripathi said. The Samjwadi Party was ousted from power in the recent assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

After a string of incidents under Akhilesh Yadav-led SP government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lambasted it for "failure" to maintain law and order and had even said that "police stations have become Samajwadi Party offices".

SSP, Etah, Satyarth Anirudh said they will ensure that the accused gets stringent punishment.