2012 farmers’ stir: UP minister, BJP MLA among 8 party leaders put on trial for disrupting train services

Muzaffarnagar, November 23

Eight BJP leaders, including Uttar Pradesh minister Kapil Aggarwal, were on Tuesday put on trial by a special court for lawmakers here for allegedly disrupting train services during a farmers’ agitation in 2012.

Aggarwal, the minister of state for vocational education and skill development, and seven other BJP leaders, including BJP MLA Umesh Malik and former MLA Ashok Kansal, had stopped the Haridwar Express at the Muzaffarnagar railway station for a few hours after climbing up on its engine in an agitation against the then government’s “anti-farmer” policies.

Aggarwal and other BJP leaders were put on trial after they pleaded “not guilty” to the charges under sections 147 and 156 of the Railway Act, framed by Special Judge Gopal Upadhyay.

As the judge asked the accused minister and BJP leaders if they plead guilty to the charges pertaining to entering into railway premises and disrupting the train service, they pleaded not guilty and claimed trial following which the court ordered their trial.

The other leaders against whom the trial was ordered are BJP’s Muzaffarnagar district president Vijay Shukla, district general secretary Vaibhav Tyagi, former district presidents Yashpal Panwar and Pawan Tara and BJP leader Anil Tyal.

After farming charges against the BJP leaders, the court fixed November 30 to begin the trial with the examination of prosecution evidence.

Government counsel Manoj Thakur said the case against the eight was registered by the Government Railway Police on April 3, 2012 for forcefully halting the train at the Muzaffarnagar railway station. PTI