Agra: Former Delhi minister and Congress member, Rajendra Pal Gautam, was slapped with an FIR by UP police on Thursday for “promoting enmity” after the ex-MLA was accused of making “false claims” at a press conference in Delhi about a “woman from Kushwaha community in Hathras, facing prolonged harassment, was murdered despite police complaints”.A video clip of the recent press meet, held by Gautam, also the chairman of All India Congress Committee’s SC department, was purportedly posted on social media on Wednesday.Confirming the development, ASP (Hathras), Ramanand Kushwaha, said, “A case was lodged after a video, spreading misinformation, was shared from a political party’s official ‘X’ handle.”Cops claimed that the report was “baseless and misleading”, and a formal police verification found no such incident in the district. SP, Chiranjeev Nath Singha, told TOI: “It is an attempt to defame police administration and Hathras district.”The FIR was registered in Hathras by senior sub-inspector Umesh Chandra Sharma under BNS sections 196 (1) (promoting enmity) and 353 (1) (circulating false information, rumours or reports).The complainant stated: “An investigation was conducted by all station in-charges of the district regarding the veracity of the allegations. But it came to light that no such incident had occurred in Hathras district. In the detailed investigation, it was also found that the said video was broadcast by Rajendra Pal Gautam, ex-MLA, whose aim was to disturb social harmony, spread animosity between communities and tarnish the image of the govt and administration.
”Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson, Harnam Singh, said, “Role of govt and police should be to investigate complaints, ensure fair probe and file charge sheets promptly so that accused can be brought to justice. Filing FIRs against those who raise concerns or allegations is not the right approach.”Notably, Gautam, who was a minister in the Kejriwal-led Delhi govt, had quit AAP and joined Congress in 2024.(Inputs from Sumit Sharma in Hathras)
