Latest news with #BrijeshSingh
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Keeping up with UP: Can BJP penetrate the impregnable fortress of Mukhtar Ansari?
There's a legend about two gangster-turned-politicians of eastern UP. It goes like this: Mukhtar Ansari's deadly rivalry with Brijesh Singh dates back to his college days. He was fond of cricket and once had a tussle with Singh's family during a game. Mukhtar's friend was killed, triggering an unending rivalry in the region. The region may be on the boil again if the Mau assembly by-polls are held. I heard the story about the cricket rivalry in 2007, when Mukhtar, his MP brother Afzal Ansari and two other family members were in jail in connection with the Krishnanand Rai murder case. Rai was a close aide of Brijesh Singh and the enmity had led to gang wars and spread to the political arena. Mukhtar Ansari, who mostly remained in jail since 2005, died in prison in March 2024. He had 65 criminal cases lodged against him, including 14 cases of murder. On the other hand, Brijesh Singh was released from jail after 13 years in prison in August, 2022. Mukhtar Ansari belonged to an illustrious family but entered the world of crime at the age of 15. His grandfather Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari was a freedom fighter who is said to have worked closely with Mahatma Gandhi. A row of photographs in Ansari's house in Yusufpur, Mohammadabad, bear testimony to the illustrious legacy. Now with the conviction of Ansari's son Abbas in a 2022 hate speech case and the subsequent disqualification of his membership of the UP assembly, there is intense speculation in the state's political circles about the BJP strategising its first ever win from the Muslim-dominated constituency. Abbas had won the seat in 2022 on the ticket of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), then an ally of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and now a partner of the ruling BJP. Abbas has filed an appeal against the verdict of the MP/MLA court. His uncle Afzal Ansari, an SP MP, is hopeful. 'Yes, the seat has been declared vacant but we are hopeful of justice from the courts as Abbas had said nothing to disturb the communal amity in the area. Along with the appeal, an application has also been filed,' Afzal Ansari said. Since the first election in Mau in 1957 and until 1996, when Mukhtar won the seat for the first time on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket, nominees from almost all political parties, including the Congress, Communist Party of India (CPI), BSP and Janata Party, have represented the constituency in the assembly except for the BJP though the party's fore-runner, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, had won the seat in 1967. Mukhtar won five consecutive elections until 2017 but, in 2022, Mayawati refused to give him the party ticket. His son Abbas Ansari had then won the seat on the SBSP ticket and stands disqualified today though he is hoping for a reprieve from the courts. Discussions have already started in the public domain about the future of the Ansari family and what will happen if Brijesh Singh's nominee enters the fray. Of the 14 MLAs elected from the Muslim- dominated seat, nine were Muslims. However, the BJP leadership does not fear the community's rejection as the party bagged four Muslim- dominated seats in recent by-polls – Kundarki in Moradabad, Rampur Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha seats, the stronghold of Azam Khan, and Azamgarh, the seat once held by Mulayam Singh Yadav. For each win, they adopted a different strategy. Asked if the party had started strategising for the Mau seat, BJP's Muslim Morcha president Kunwar Basit Ali said, 'We are also waiting for the court verdict, but the party works round the clock and they always have viable plans.' Mau is known for its saree industry. Some traders hold Mukhtar responsible for Mau's sufferings and many have closed their shops. There are over 50,000 power looms and 80,000 weavers in the area. In 2007, when Mukhtar was alive, they had said that Mukhtar's 'boys' spread rumours and fanned fear every election by claiming that if he loses, Muslims will face a tough time. What now? How BJP won Muslim-dominated seats The BJP had won the Muslim-dominated Kundarki seat after 31 years in November 2024. The BJP's Hindu candidate Ramveer Upadhaya wore a skull cap and had started befriending Muslims much before the elections. He defeated SP nominee Mohammad Rizwan by a huge margin of over 1.28 lakh votes amid allegations of bogus voting. The Muslim vote was divided as upper caste Muslims, mainly Jat, Gujar, Pathan, Syed and Tyagi, mostly businessmen, bought peace for themselves. Similarly, the BJP wrested the prime Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat from the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the 2022 by-poll. Again, they fielded a Hindu candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav 'Nirahua' who got 3.12 lakh votes, defeating the SP candidate Dharmendra Yadav by about 8000 votes. Playing spoilsport here was the BSP whose Muslim candidate Shah Alam had polled 2.66 lakh votes. The division of votes helped the BJP. In the June 2022 by-poll, the BJP had also won the Rampur Lok Sabha seat followed by their strategic win in the Rampur assembly seats in December 2022 by-poll. One of the assembly seats of Suar was won by its ally Apna Dal (Sonelal). The BJP had never hoisted its flag on the seat since 1952.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Brijesh Singh goes to cops overfake Insta a/c
Varanasi: Mafia don turned politician, MLA Brijesh Singh, lodged FIR with Sigra police station, alleging that a fake Instagram account (@mlcbrijeshshingh) had been created in his name to malign his image. Sigra police station in charge, Sanjay Mishra, confirmed on Sunday that a case was registered on Jun 12 on the complaint of former MLC Brijesh Singh under sections of the IT Act and added that investigation had begun with the help of the cybercrime cell to locate and identify creator of the fake social media account. In his complaint, Singh alleged that on the fake account, his photos and videos were being posted and private conversations were being initiated with people in their inboxes. This is the second time Singh or his family members have reported cyber attack. In 2024, his son, Siddharth Singh, was targeted and Rs 11.14 lakh got transferred into his account in the name of allotment of a paints company dealership. tnn
Hindustan Times
04-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Missing youth found murdered in Amethi village, police investigation underway
A 22-year-old Dalit youth was on Wednesday found murdered with his throat slit in a village here, police said. According to officials, the body of Sagar Kori, a resident of Pure Ram Chauhan ka Purwa village, was found inside a cattle shed. The youth had gone missing around 11 pm on Tuesday and his body was found early Wednesday near his home, they said. Sangrampur Station House Officer (SHO) Brijesh Singh said the body has been sent for postmortem and legal proceedings are underway. Further investigation is in progress to ascertain the motive and identify the accused, police added.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Time of India
Semi-naked body of health worker found in Budaun; rape, murder suspected
Bareilly: Police found the semi-naked body of a 40-year-old Asha worker in a cornfield near a village under Alapur police station in Budaun, police said on Tuesday. The corpse was after she failed to return home from work on Monday evening. Investigators suspect she was raped and murdered and said four police teams had been formed to identify and arrest the accused. The woman, who had left for a neighbouring village with another health worker on Monday morning, went missing after failing to return by 2pm. A passer-by discovered her body about 300 metres from the village and alerted her family. They, along with local police, reached the spot and identified the body, which was then sent for a post-mortem. Budaun SSP Brijesh Singh, circle officer K K Tiwari, and a forensic team inspected the site and collected evidence. Singh said, "The woman's body was found semi-naked, without her salwar, but she was wearing her suit. Further action will be taken based on the post-mortem report." Tiwari added that the victim's salwar, mobile phone, purse, and vaccination register were missing from the scene. Police suspect these were taken to mislead investigators. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trend: This unbreakable health-tracking watch is delighting seniors Indestructible Smartwatch Undo He said, "The woman was the mother of three children. She had also filed a lawsuit related to agricultural land against two locals, who are now prime suspects in this case." Singh visited the family and assured them of justice. "A case has been registered against two suspects based on the evidence and complaint given by the victim's husband. Both the suspects are in our custody for questioning. The police station has been directed to resolve the case promptly. The autopsy report and the mobile surveillance data will put more light on the case," he said.
