Ghaziabad, Aug 26 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday said its spokesman in western Uttar Pradesh was beaten up by the Ghaziabad police chief and illegally detained when the party leader went to his office to seek the arrest of a criminal.


The party has complained to the state home secretary and state police chief. The Ghazaiabad police chief could not be reached for comments despite several attempts.

S.P. Singh, a former member of the state minority commission, said he had gone to meet Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Raghuvir Lal to complain that the police was not proceeding enough to nab a criminal against whom he (Singh) had registered a complaint at the Sihani Gate police station.

"I entered Lal's office and requested him to phone the police station concerned to expedite the arrest of the culprit. Getting angered over this request, the SSP got up and shouted at me to get out of his office. When I insisted that he phone the police station concerned, the SSP came close to me and slapped me," Singh told IANS.

"The SSP's aides including the public relations officer (PRO) snatched my mobile phone and switched it off and lodged me in Kotwali police station," he alleged.

The BJP activist said he managed to complain to state BJP chief Surya Pratap Shahi before his mobile was taken away. Shahi contacted the principal secretary (home) and the director general of police.

"It is a criminal act on the part of an IPS (Indian Police Service) officer who is supposed to solve the public's problem. Instead of solving the problems, he thrashed a most respected leader of the party who hails from minority community and had been member of the UP Minority Commission. The principal secretary (Home) and the DGP have been apprised of the incident and requested to take action," Shahi said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Damyanti Goel, local legislator Sunil Sharma and other party activists staged a sit in at the Kotwali police station in protest.

"The BJP leaders lifted the dharna after the SSP reached the Kotwali Police Station and expressed regret for the incident publicly. He further said that he was under stress," Singh said.