An executive engineer of the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) was today beaten to death in Auraiya, allegedly by a history sheeter-ruling BSP MLA and his supporters — two PWD engineers were among them — after he reportedly refused to cough up Rs 50 lakh for the birthday celebrations of Chief Minister Mayawati on January 15, a charge denied by the state government.MLA Shekhar Tiwari who has several cases pending against him — he was booked under the Gangster Act in 2001 and remained behind bars for several months — was arrested late this evening from the Akbarpur police station area of rural Kanpur. Three others, identified as Pooti, Vinay and Manoj Awasthi, were also arrested.Tiwari was not named in the FIR but IG (Kanpur range) Bhanu Pratap Singh, camping at the Dibiyapur police station, said the MLA’s name came up later.Auraiya Additional SP Sureshwar said Gupta was unconscious when Tiwari left him at the police station before dawn. He could not explain why the police allowed Tiwari to leave. Gupta was declared dead when police took him to hospital. SHO Hoshiar Singh was later suspended for negligence.In a report lodged with the police, Shashi Gupta, wife of the engineer, named two persons, identifying them as Tyagi and Bhatia (DGP Vikram Singh later said both were also PWD engineers). She said they forced their way into the Gail Vihar colony house in Dibiyapur — police said the men claimed to be from the CID — and attacked her husband after locking her in the bathroom.Gupta’s sister-in-law Madhu told reporters that he was “under tremendous pressure” and wanted to quit both his job and Auraiya. She did not name Tiwari, saying “sabko pata hai (everyone knows)”. An ME (Civil) from the Banaras Hindu University, Gupta was posted to Auraiya more than a year ago. Father-in-law Swami Dayal Gupta, who rushed to Auraiya from Lucknow, said though Shashi shouted for help, none of the neighbours came to the rescue. After the assailant had left, one of the neighbours came in and unlocked the bathroom door, he said.In Lucknow, DGP Vikram Singh told reporters that “the entry and exit of the MLA was recorded at the gate of the colony between 3 am and 3.30 am. The MLA later left Gupta at Dibiyapur police station in an unconscious state around 5 am.”Additional DG (Law and Order) Brij Lal said Gupta’s wife, locked in the bathroom, heard her husband address the intruders as Tyagi and Bhatia. One of them told Gupta that his predecessor used to clear bills without creating problems, so why was he raising objections. Lal said she also heard another vehicle drive up.According to Lal, three persons entered Gupta’s house around 1.30 am (this timing is different from the one recorded at the colony entry gate which the DGP mentioned). Gupta was beaten up and taken away around 2 am but dropped at the police station by the MLA only after 3 am. Lal said this showed that the engineer was taken somewhere else and again beaten up.A case under various IPC sections relating to murder, wrongful confinement and causing bodily harm has been registered against Tiwari and his associates. Singh said provisions of the Gangster Act would also be invoked.Tiwari has quite a few criminal cases pending against him — he was booked twice on the attempt-to-murder charge. He was booked under the Gangster Act in 2001 for the kidnapping of Mahipat Chowdhary, a panchayat employee who was rescued by the police later.Local advocate Arun Pandey recently lodged an FIR against Tiwari and his associates, complaining that they were out to grab his land. Pandey said Tiwari and his men would come to his house drunk and threaten him to hand over the plot at Dibiyapur crossing.When the police refused to entertain a complaint against Tiwari, Pandey went to court. “It was only after a court order that an FIR could be lodged.”Tiwari is a first-time MLA from Auraiya. His wife Vibha Tiwari is president of the Nagar Panchayat.Under fire, the state government stepped in to clarify. UP Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh told reporters: “It is a criminal act and should not be given any political colour. The government has taken all possible steps against the culprits and an investigation is in the process. Linking the murder to any other issue will be a great injustice. The government is committed to maintaining law and order. It has already sent to jail two ministers, two MLAs and one MP for involvement in crimes. The police will not spare anyone and strict action will be taken against the guilty. A case under Section 302 (murder) has been registered against the MLA and others.”The government announced ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh, a government job and adequate security to Shashi Gupta.Condemning the murder, political parties slammed Mayawati and demanded that BSP leaders be stopped from collecting funds for her birthday.Samajwadi Party state president Shivpal Singh Yadav blamed the incident on Mayawati, alleging “she fixed a collection target for ministers, MLAs, officials and other BSP leaders for her birthday.” Congress state president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said the incident proved that the BSP government was running on “money, mafia and muscle power”. BJP legislature party leader Om Prakash Singh said such incidents will happen “when the government uses muscle power to collect money for a private function of the CM”.
