UP: Three sentenced to life in jail for murder of SP polling agent during 2022 polls
A court in Shahjahanpur has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for the murder of a youth after he allegedly tried to stop a group of people from casting votes during the 2022 Assembly election in Tilhar, suspecting bogus voting. The victim, Sudhir, was a polling agent of the Samajwadi Party.
'The court sentenced all three accused—Rakesh Singh, Rajeshwar Singh, and Vishesh Yadav—to life imprisonment in the murder case of Sudhir,' said Government Counsel (Shahjahanpur) Rajeev Awasthi, adding nine prosecution witnesses were examined during the trial.
The three – all residents of Chakora village in Nigohi — were convicted under IPC section 302 (murder) and 304 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
Roshan Lal Verma, who was Samajwadi Party's candidate from Tilhar Assembly seat, said: 'Sudhir was my polling agent and killed by men associated with the BJP.'
The BJP denied having any association with the convicts. 'I have heard about the case and the convicts have no association with the party and never been any office-bearers,' said BJP's Shahjahanpur district president Krishna Chandra Mishra. He added that Sudhir did not hold any party post in the Samajwadi Party.
Following the verdict, Rakesh and Vishesh, who were out on bail, were taken into custody. Rajeshwar Singh had been in jail since his arrest. According to the public prosecutor, Sudhir's father had lodged a police complaint alleging that his son was attacked and killed by assailants on the morning of February 15, 2022. He alleged that the attack was the result of a dispute that took place a day earlier when Sudhir—who was serving as a polling agent for the Samajwadi Party—had a heated argument with three youths after stopping them from casting bogus votes.
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