SP MLA's petrol pump razed by Bareilly District officials after 'threats' to Yogi

|HT|

District officials in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly on Thursday razed a petrol pump owned by MLA Shazil Islam Ansari after claiming he had built the structure without necessary permits. Ansari days earlier had made provocative comments against chief minister Yogi Adityanath. The petrol station was located on the Delhi-Rampur highway. On Monday the MLA found himself mired in controversy after a video clip that seemed to show him threatening Adityanath and making provocative statements emerged online. Addressing party supporters in Bareilly, Shazil Islam Ansari reportedly said: "If a voice comes out from his (Adityanath's) mouth, our (the Samajwadi Party) guns will not emit smoke but bullets."

A FIR, or first information report, was lodged against Ansari and a few others on charges of making 'provocative statements' against the chief minister. They were booked on charges of disturbing peace, making threatening and provocative statements with intent to incite riots.

The MLA, however, has questioned the veracity of the video clip and claimed his remarks were doctored. "A news channel edited my video and then made it viral. In the program, I had said that being a strong opposition we will give a strong reply on all things like a gun which emits bullets and not smoke," he said.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)