UP Police calls Chandrashekhar Azad’s claim of shots being fired at his rally baseless

The Bhim Army Chief took to Twitter Sunday and said shots were fired at his convoy after a rally for the UP assembly by-election Sunday.

Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan addresses a press conference at IWPC on 17 January 2020 in New Delhi. | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Bulandshahr: A day after Azad Samaj Party national president Chandrashekhar Azad alleged that shots were fired at his convoy here, the district police said a preliminary probe found his claim to be “baseless”.

Azad had made the allegation on Twitter after a rally for the assembly by-election on Sunday.

Senior Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar Singh told reporters here on Monday that the matter was investigated by the City Magistrate and the Police Circle Officer (City) and the “things told through the tweet (by Azad) were baseless”.

Azad held a public meeting on Sunday in support of his party candidate in the Sadar seat by-election.

After his rally, supporters of his party candidate Haji Yameen and that of Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM candidate Dilshad clashed in Rukan Sarai locality of Kotwali Nagar.

“There was sloganeering, abusive speech and mild scuffle. However, no one was hurt,” the officer said.

He said the area is heavily populated and a traffic jam had occurred on the narrow road which led to the quarrel.

After the incident, Azad tweeted in Hindi: “Today’s rally has left them worried. This is the reason shots were fired at my convoy in a cowardly manner.

The SSP said he and the district magistrate reached the spot and interacted with local people who “completely denied the firing incident”.

Both sides were called to the police station, and they filed cross-complaints under Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code, the police said.

Later, a video of Azad Samaj Party candidate Haji Yameen appeared in which he also denied that such an incident had occurred.