Two held, cops look for SP worker who hired bouncers to 'guard' tomatoes

Varanasi: Police have arrested a vegetable shop owner and his son over a video in which a Samajwadi Party worker is seen with two “bouncers” purportedly hired to “protect” high-priced tomatoes.

The SP worker Ajay Fauji — who had portrayed himself as the shop owner – is absconding, Ashwani Pandey, the SHO of Varanasi’s Lanka police station, said on Monday.

Jagnarayan Yadav and his son Vikas Yadav were arrested Sunday for “defamation”, police said. On video, the SP worker had claimed that he deployed two bouncers to deal with customers haggling over the price of tomatoes.

The SP has been attacking the BJP government over the rising prices of the commodity.

Fauzi had cut a tomato-shaped cake and distributed tomatoes to mark party president Akhilesh Yadav’s birthday recently.

Police said a case has been registered under sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 291 (continuance of nuisance after injunction to discontinue) and 505 (statements conducive to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code.

On Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav tweeted over the detention of one of the vegetable seller who he said was merely drawing the attention of the government on an issue of public interest.

In another tweet in Hindi on Monday, the SP chief said there was “no space” for satire and sarcasm in the country.