Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator Anand Sen Yadav, accused of involvement in the kidnap and murder of a dalit woman, Saturday surrendered to the police here Saturday.

His father and BSP MP from Faizabad, Mitra Sen Yadav, was present at the police station when Yadav came with his advocate to surrender.

Yadav, a legislator from Milkipur assembly constituency in Faizabad, said: "I have surrendered because I have full confidence in the courts. I know I am innocent."

A Faizabad police team, already camping in the town, arrested Yadav. He will be produced in the court of the chief judicial magistrate in Faizabad.

Inspector General of Police A.K. Jain said: "Besides the charge of murder, an offence of criminal conspiracy had also been booked against Yadav."

The police, earlier in the day, had detained a gunman provided to Anand Sen Yadav by the state government and a servant for interrogation in the case. The police had conducted overnight searches at many places in Lucknow and Faizabad to arrest the legislator.

Yadav, 45, had to resign from his post as minister of state for food processing in November 2007 for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Shashi, a dalit woman from Faizabad.

The 24-year-old victim was a third year law student in Faizabad when she went missing Oct 22 last. After recovery of her wrist watch, which was found from the Gomti river in Sultanpur, the police suspected she was murdered, though her body is yet to be found. Her parents had confirmed that the watch belonged to her.

In a first information report (FIR), Shashi's father Yogendra Prasad accused Yadav's distant relative and driver Vijay Sen of the crime. Seema Azad, a classmate of Shashi and believed to be close to Yadav, was named as the other accused.

Yadav's name figured as a suspect in the chargesheet filed in the court by the police on the basis of narco analysis tests of Vijay Sen.

Yadav filed a writ petition in the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court Friday seeking a stay on his arrest. The plea was turned down and the next hearing was fixed on June 24.

 

Source : IANS