Varun charged with attempt to murder, rioting

Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh), Mar 29 (PTI) Bharatiya Janata
Party's Lok Sabha candidate Varun Gandhi has been charged with
attempt to murder, rioting and other offences in an FIR filed
in connection with violence that erupted here even as police
Sunday maintained a close vigil to maintain law and order in
this district.

29-year-old Varun, along with Uttar Pradesh BJP chief
Kalraj Mishra, local MLA Sukhlal and former party MLA B K
Gupta, have been named in another FIR registered for violation
of prohibitory orders under section 144 Criminal Procedure
Code Saturday when the BJP candidate courted arrest in a case
related to his alleged anti-Muslim speeches, Kotwali police
sources said.

Varun, who is in judicial custody, has been booked under
sections 147, 148 and 149 (rioting and related charges), 307
(attempt to murder), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter
public servant from his duty), 336 (doing any act that
endangers human life or the personal safety of others) and
certain sections of IPC and public safety and certain state
acts for the violence around the district jail here, they
said.

The FIR relating to rioting and other chages has been
filed by Pilibhit district jailor Mukesh Arora against Varun
and his supporters after BJP activists fought a pitched battle
with the police and laid a siege of the jail premises.

Meanwhile, Pilibhit District Magistrate Ashok Chauhan
discounted the allegation of BJP Member of Parliament and
Varun's mother Maneka Gandhi that a Muslim officer had injured
several of supporters and said he was not deployed there.

Chauhan said ,"I strictly don't agree with the comments
of Maneka Gandhi. The person she is naming was not at all
deployed at that place.

"We checked the records and we were careful about his
deployment. He was at another place and the allegation is
totally false," he said.

On the situation in Pilibhit, he said, "it is under
control. People may be spreading rumours but as of now the
situation in the city and rural areas is totally under
control".

In Lucknow, Additional Director General of Police Brij
Lal, said, "A close vigil is being maintained in Pilibhit with
deployment of adequate number of personnel from Provincial
Armed Constabulary (PAC) and police".

Asked about the cases registered against Gandhi, who
courted here Saturday, he just said, "A case under section
188 of IPC has been registered against all those who violated
the prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC".

During the violence yesterday, BJP workers, who were
demanding Varun's release, had indulged in heavy brick batting
and laid a siege of the district jail. PTI Corr
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