False flag operation? Ink attack on BJP candidate sparks blame game in Ghosi bypoll battle

A man who flung ink at Dara Singh Chauhan has ‘confessed’ that he did so at the behest of a BJP leader, but police claim accused has Samajwadi Party links & held a 'grudge'

In the run-up to the highly anticipated Ghosi by-poll in Uttar Pradesh, a political blame-game has erupted after ink was thrown at BJP candidate Dara Singh Chauhan, who defected last month from the Samajwadi Party. What has made the matter murkier is that the alleged perpetrator has claimed that another BJP leader put him up to the task

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The incident took place Sunday when Chauhan was attending a campaign meeting in Ghosi’s Agri. Chauhan, notably,  in the first Yogi Adityanath cabinet but  ahead of the 2022 assembly elections and won the Ghosi seat. This July, he resigned from the UP assembly and returned to the BJP, necessitating the by-poll, scheduled for 5 September.

The Mau police had initially identified a man called Abhimanyu ‘Monu’ Yadav as the perpetrator Sunday, but no arrest was made. However, the matter took a new turn Monday when Yadav himself surrendered to the police and claimed that he was part of a false flag operation orchestrated by another BJP leader, Prince Yadav. Monu Yadav is currently under arrest.

Prince Yadav, however, has alleged that Samajwadi Party candidate Sudhakar Singh was behind the incident to “disturb” him and Yadav voters. The police, too, have claimed that Monu Yadav has links with the SP and holds a grudge against Chauhan.

Meanwhile, the SP and Congress, which are part of the national-level opposition alliance INDIA, have accused the BJP of planning an ink “kaand” (scam) to win sympathy and votes.

Here’s a look at the controversial ‘confession’, the political finger-pointing so far, and what the police have said.