– Akhilesh Tripathi
Lucknow: An FIR has been registered at the Civil Lines police station in Badaun against BJP MLA Harish Shakya from the Bilsi constituency, along with 16 others including his brothers, on charges of gangrape, land grabbing worth crores, and filing false cases. The FIR was lodged following a court order.
In 2022, Harish Shakya allegedly expressed interest in a 20-bigha plot of land near the city. He approached Lalit’s father, the owner of the land, to purchase it. Initially unwilling to sell, Lalit’s father eventually quoted a price of ₹80 lakh per bigha, valuing the property at ₹18 crore. Though Shakya agreed to the deal, he later pressured the seller to accept ₹16.5 crore instead. A written agreement was made, requiring Shakya to pay 40% upfront and the remainder at registration. Despite paying an advance of ₹1 lakh, Shakya allegedly used his political influence to seize the land without paying the remaining amount.
When Lalit demanded payment, Shakya reportedly had him assaulted by the police. Lalit and his family were further harassed and threatened by Shakya, his brothers, and associates.
On September 17, 2024, Shakya summoned Lalit’s mother and wife for a discussion at his camp office. Upon their arrival, no conversation took place. Instead, Lalit’s wife was allegedly raped. The women informed Lalit of the incident, but when he tried to file a complaint, local police, reportedly under Shakya’s influence, refused to register it and instead harassed him.
Lalit approached the court for justice. On December 12, 2024, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Leelu Chaudhary directed the police to file an FIR against Harish Shakya, and 16 associates including his brothers. The Sections included Section 376D (gangrape), Section 467 (forgery of valuable security), Section 468 (forgery for cheating), Section 471 (Using forged documents as genuine), Section 506 (Criminal intimidation) and Section 420 (Cheating).
The court ordered to register an FIR within 10 days, investigated thoroughly, and a report submitted.
The FIR names several individuals, including Harish Shakya (MLA), Satendra and Dharmpal Shakya (brothers), Brajesh Kumar Shakya (nephew), Hari Shankar Vyas, Anang Pal, Anand Prakash Agarwal, Anurag Agarwal, Manoj Kumar Goyal, Shailendra Kumar Singh, Harish Chandra Verma, Vipin Kumar
Chandravati, Dinesh Kumar, Rampal, and Dinesh Chandra.
Harish Shakya, Anand Prakash Agarwal, and Hari Shankar Vyas are specifically charged with rape.
The FIR has intensified political tensions in Badaun. The Samajwadi Party has sharply criticised the BJP and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. SP MP Aditya Yadav questioned, “Will CM Yogi Adityanath run a bulldozer over the house of his rapist MLA? Or does the bulldozer only target the innocent and selectively chosen?”
The BJP has faced backlash for its silence on the matter. Critics argue the party’s inaction reflects an anti-women stance, fuelling further controversy.
The Bilsi seat has a history of controversy. Previously, BSP’s former MLA from Bilsi, Yogendra Sagar, was convicted of gangrape and sentenced to life imprisonment, a punishment he is currently serving.
This latest incident has once again brought the constituency into the spotlight for criminal allegations against its representative and his associates.
