New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad was allegedly attacked by a group of individuals while attending a wedding at Mohammadpur Kathar village in the state's Sant Kabir Nagar district on Sunday. The assailants allegedly confronted Nishad with inquiries regarding his work and his MP son's "absence" from Sant Kabir Nagar, the constituency he represents in the Lok Sabha.
Nishad, who heads NDA ally Nishad Party, sustained injuries in the attack, including a bloody nose, and was rushed to a hospital nearby. An FIR has been filed in the matter and four people arrested, police said on Monday.
"I lead the Nishad community. Wherever my workers are, I make sure to attend their weddings. On Sunday, it was the wedding of my worker in Mohammadpur Kathar village," Nishad told PTI about the attack.
"While I was waiting for the jaimala ceremony, some people behind me started making disrespectful remarks about my MP son Praveen Nishad and the Nishad party. I thought they might be from our community and I could explain things to them. We brought those people forward and asked them to talk to the MP when he arrived."
What Have You done, Ask Attackers
"They asked me, 'You're the minister, what have you done?'" he added.
When Nishad asked the individuals to behave, they allegedly attacked him.
"My glasses broke, and I was hit on the nose ... They were Yadavs. I won't take names. There were around 20-25 people. Since I came here, people have been trying to incite caste conflicts," Nishad said.
Nishad and members of the Nishad Party staged a protest on the hospital premises when the former was taken there.
The protest persisted until Superintendent of Police Satyajit Gupta visited him at the hospital, and assured him that action would be taken in the case.
On social media platform X, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya condemned the alleged attack, and blamed it on the Samajwadi Party. He posted, "Sapa bahadur Akhilesh Yadav, your party goons have launched a deadly attack on NISHAD party chief cabinet minister Sanjay Nishad. Strict action will be taken against the attackers and hooliganism will not be allowed to return to UP at all. 400-plus on June 4".
Sanjay Nishad's son Praveen Nishad is the BJP MP for Sant Kabir Nagar. He is seeking re-election in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
"Minister ji has been attacked by some hooligans. This is a conspiracy of the Opposition," he was quoted as saying by PTI about the attack. "The Opposition is nervous due to the increasing popularity of the BJP. Police have been directed to take action against those involved in the incident."
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Police said an FIR has been filed in the matter against six individuals from the village. They have been booked under sections 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
Among them, Raghavendra Yadav, Jai Prakash Yadav, Digvijay Yadav, and Abhishek Yadav have been apprehended, police said.