UP: 'Shot' businessman, who accused IPS officer of corruption, dies
A businessman from Uttar Pradesh, who accused an IPS officer of corruption, died at a hospital in Kanpur on Sunday, days after he was found with a bullet injury inside his Audi car. The deceased, Indrakant Tripathi, had leveled serious allegations of corruption and intimidation on Manilal Patidar, a 2014-batch IPS officer. Patidar was suspended on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's order. Here's what happened.
Days after businessman spoke of corruption, he suffered bullet injuries
Tripathi, who is involved in the mining business in Mahoba, had released a video clip, accusing Patidar of serious crimes. In the widely-shared video, the businessman said if he were to die under any circumstances, Patidar, the former SP of Mahoba, must be blamed. On September 8, Tripathi was shot in the neck by unidentified assailants and was rushed to a hospital.
For maligning police force, UP government suspended Patidar
After the allegations surfaced, the state government suspended Patidar, saying that his actions brought disrepute to the police force. Though Tripathi didn't find a mention in the statement, the government said Patidar demanded money for "running of vehicles engaged in ballast transportation." When his demands were spurned, police officers intimidated vehicle owners. An Indian Express report said a detailed inquiry is likely.
Businessman's brother filed a police complaint after shooting incident
In fact, an FIR was also registered against Patidar, on the basis of a complaint by Tripathi's brother Ravi Kant, just as the businessman was battling for his life. Ravi alleged that his brother had the license for crushing works in the district but Patidar demanded Rs. 6 lakh for running vehicles. In the FIR, Kabrai's suspended SHO Devendra Shukla was also named.
Businessman begged IPS officer, was threatened instead
"My brother met Patidar and begged before him that he would not be able to pay the money because of losses. But it had no impact on him and he began abusing him and threatened to get him eliminated," Ravi alleged.
Family can be harmed, said businessman's brother, demanded Patidar's arrest
The FIR was lodged under IPC Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), and 387 (extortion), as well as the Prevention of Corruption Act. Unarguably threatened, Ravi said yesterday, "We want that Patidar should be arrested. He is an influential person. He and his people can harm our family." Shockingly, the accused SP was not arrested, despite two FIRs against him.
Now, police will use Tripathi's clip as evidence in probe
The UP Police, that sprung into action, will reportedly assess Tripathi's video forensically before employing it as an evidence, reports TOI. Arun Srivastava, who became the SP of Mahoba after Patidar's ouster, said the victim remained firm on his statement. Besides Patidar, seven other cops are also facing investigation, and Srivastava added if names of more cops emerge, they will also be suspended.
Facing flurry of allegations, Patidar said Tripathi was "angry"
Earlier, Patidar had dismissed any wrongdoing and said Tripathi was involved in a gambling racket. He said the video was a result of the police's action against him. Notably, the matter took political turns when Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, "The murder of Indrakant Tripathi, who had revealed corruption in the Uttar Pradesh government, has proved that the government's 'thoko' (shoot) policy. (sic)"
