Lucknow: In a bizarre incident, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav Sunday refused to drink tea offered to him by the police officers at the DGP headquarters. He asked his party worker to get tea for him from outside the police station. Akhilesh Yadav had reached the DGP headquarters unannounced to protest the arrest of Manish Jagan Agarwal, the SP Twitter media cell handler, from Hazratganj on Saturday.
"You never know, they may mix poison in my tea. I will drink my own tea and you people (cops) can drink your tea," Akhilesh said. He was accompanied by party workers who staged a protest against the arrest at the DGP headquarters. Agarwal was arrested on Sunday morning after three cases were registered against him at Hazratganj police station allegedly for making objectionable remarks on Twitter through the party's social media handle.
"Arrest of Samajwadi Party worker, Manish Jagan Agarwal, by Lucknow Police is condemnable and shameful! Police should release him immediately," said the SP on Twitter. The Lucknow Police on Saturday arrested Manish Jagan Agarwal for tweeting in abusive language and threatening through the handle that goues by the name of 'Samajwadi Party Twitter media cell'. DCP Central Aparna Kaushik said that they acted on complaints received against Agarwal. The police have so far registered three FIRs at the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow regarding his tweets.
The police had formed two teams to investigate the matter, the DCP informed. The police had earlier called up Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson Manish Singh to know about the party's stand on the issue. Singh did not answer his call. The SP, however, has distanced itself from the Twitter account.
A journalist had lodged an FIR on December 26 last year, under the Information Technology Act against Manish Jagan Agarwal, Ashish Yadav, Udayveer Singh at Hazratganj police station for Agarwal's indecent comments and threats on Twitter. On January 4 an FIR was lodged against a Samajwadi Party worker on behalf of complainant Dr. Richa Rajput, social media in-charge of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Richa Rajput had filed a case against Agarwal including charges of molestation and rape.
