Were voters threatened by a UP cop? While police refute charges, Akhilesh Yadav releases a video.

Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, called for the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Kakarouli police station in Mirapur, Uttar Pradesh, to be suspended on Wednesday. Yadav claimed that the SHO had threatened voters with a revolver and force, preventing them from voting in the state’s by-elections.

However, Muzaffarnagar Police denied Akhilesh Yadav’s claims and said that the police action in the Mirapur area was a reaction to a disagreement between two groups.

Akhilesh Yadav, who shared a video of the purported incident, called on the Election Commission (EC) to punish the officer right once for interfering with the voting process.

“The Election Commission should immediately suspend SHO of Kakarwali police station in Mirapur because he is stopping voters from casting their ballots by threatening them with a revolver,” the former Chief Minister wrote on X sharin the video clip of the incident.

The Samajwadi Party chief allegedly posted a video showing a police officer in Mirapur brandishing a service rifle while wearing a helmet and safety guards. The police officer is heard being confronted by the women, who question him why they are unable to vote. But the officer, along with numerous other police officers, made them go back to their houses.Stones were hurled at officers who arrived at the scene after receiving reports of a fight between two groups, according to the police.

“After receiving information about a dispute between two groups in Mirapur during the UP bypolls, a police team from Kakarwali police station was dispatched. Upon reaching the location, stones were thrown at the police team by the residents. Police used mild force to disperse the hooligans,” the police statement said.

“Kakarwali police station SHO Rajeev Sharma, who was present at the spot, took action to maintain law and order in the region. During this time, no one was threatened. Action will be taken against all those who threw stones at the police,” it added.

After a slow start, voter turnout for the by-elections in nine Assembly constituencies around Uttar Pradesh picked up speed, with about 42% of voters casting ballots by 3 p.m. on Wednesday. In the seats of Katehari, Karhal, Mirapur, Ghaziabad, Majhawan, Sisamau, Khair, Phulpur, and Kundarki, the voting process started at 7 am and ended at 5 pm. Around four police officers were suspended by the Election Commission earlier in the day after the Samajwadi Party accused them of breaking polling regulations pertaining to voter verification and preventing voters from casting ballots in the by-election.

The Uttar Pradesh opposition party asserted that police officers were discouraging voters from casting ballots in certain areas by verifying their identification. According to officials, four officers on poll duty were suspended in Kanpur and Muzaffarnagar. Unknown numbers of employees on traffic duty were transferred to Moradabad.