Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, July 25
Mukesh Sahani, animal husbandry and fisheries minister of Bihar, was detained at Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, Banaras by the Uttar Pradesh (UP) police where he landed to unveil the statue of Phoolan Devi in the city.
The police had to use force to disperse his supporters. Sahani had reached Banaras to unveil the statues of Phoolan Devi, once Bandit Queen and former MP from Mirzapur on her death anniversary.
Banaras police commissioner A Satish Ganesh issued prohibitory orders and denied permission to the Bihar Minister, who is also President of the Vikashsheel Insaan Party (VIP), a constituent of NDA in Bihar to hold meetings. He was banned from entering the town and asked to return from the airport itself.
Sahani was scheduled to unveil two 18-feet-high-statue of Phoolan Devi at Sujabad and Ramnagar in Banaras, Lok Sabha Constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Police seized the statues from the trucks sent from Patna, where statues were prepared at the residence of the minister.
Sahani had got 21 statues of Phoolan Devi made at Patna and sent them to different parts of Uttar Pradesh including Gorakhpur, constituency of the chief minister besides Lucknow, Agra, Sultanpur etc for installation today. Phoolan Devi was gunned down in New Delhi at her official bungalow after she returned from the Parliament. She was a member of Samajwadi Party.
Mukesh Sahani has announced his party would contest 165 seats in Uttar Pradesh in next year’s assembly elections. He described Phoolan Devi as the leader of the fishermen community and said she was an icon of the Mallahs. Sahani calls himself the Son of Mallah.
Banaras police seized all banners and posters of VIP and Mukesh Sahani and arrested over two dozen leaders of the party staying in two different hotels at Banaras. The leaders were not allowed to move out of the hotel rooms.
Police claimed according to a state government order of 2008, permission of the Chief Minister is required before installing any statue in the state. VIP did not seek permission for installation of statues of the two term MP from Mirzapur-Phoolan Devi. Police refused permission to hold public meetings in view of the COVID restrictions.
VIP has four MLAs in Bihar.
