The chief of the Samajwadi Party and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, is attempting to project himself as a supporter of Brahmins. However, his real face has been revealed repeatedly, and his purported affection for the community is marred by violence.
Many might not recognise the name Neeraj Mishra from Kannauj. He was the individual who once confronted Akhilesh. Afterwards, his decapitated body was discovered within a day. Neeraj’s sibling, Munish Mishra, in a conversation with OpIndia, openly accused Akhilesh of his brother’s murder.
Neeraj’s severed head has never been found
The incident dates back to 5th May 2004, during the polling for the general elections in the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency of the state. Akhliesh, the son of the then Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, was the candidate from the Samajwadi Party, whereas the Bharatiya Janata Party was represented by Ramanand Yadav. This marked Akhilesh’s inaugural general election after he had just returned from his studies in Australia.
During the polling, the situation unexpectedly turned tense at the polling booth of Baba Haripuri Inter College located in Kasava village of the Chhibramau area of Kannauj. A fierce argument erupted between BJP and SP workers regarding booth capturing, which swiftly escalated into violence. Meanwhile, BJP booth president Neeraj Mishra suddenly went missing.
On 6th May, his torso was discovered in the Ishan River, but his head was never located. Neeraj was from Kasava village and was assigned to the same polling booth where the altercation took place. A prolonged legal battle followed against the accused in this murder case. The court eventually sentenced the perpetrators to life imprisonment, but over time, all of them were granted bail.
The victim’s family asserted that people linked to the then Member of Parliament arrived at the polling station with the aim of capturing it. Neeraj objected, but an altercation transpired between the two sides, and he pushed a leader during this time. Afterwards, the leader’s associates forcibly abducted him, and his headless corpse was located the next day.
Akhilesh Yadav orchestrated the murder: Munish Mishra
Munish Mishra conversed with OpIndia’s Arpit Tripathi regarding the tragic murder of his brother. During the discussion, he stated, “Akhilesh is behind the decapitation of my brother.” He then elaborated, “There was a polling booth located in Kasava village, where Neeraj served as the BJP’s booth agent. The residents from nearby Yadav villages would come to vote there previously, but it has since been removed.”
Munish recounted the entire event thoroughly and disclosed, “Akhilesh, following the looting of polling booths in Batela, Jafrabad and nearby regions, arrived in Kasava with a convoy of 25 to 30 vehicles. A presiding officer was treated disrespectfully, prompting a reaction. Akhilesh struck a man as a display of authority. My brother objected to this, leading to a dispute between them.”
I want Neeraj Mishra dead or alive
Munish pointed out, “The matter intensified as the prince (Akhilesh) felt offended that someone had dared to touch him. He was accompanied by the police force, the CEO and Inspector Umashankar Yadav.” He recalled how a furious Akhilesh had called Mulayam Singh and yelled, “I want Neeraj Mishra, dead or alive.”
Munish further informed, “Once the polling concluded in the evening, the SP workers began to create chaos. They vandalised the home of a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) worker who tended to our farm. His mother was there, and they mistreated her in front of other women. These workers inserted a fan rod into her vagina.” He added, “Afterwards, an SP worker was killed in the shooting. Neeraj had no connection to that instance whatsoever.”
SP workers brutally killed Neeraj: Munish Mishra
Munish unveiled, “Subsequently, they attacked our residence. Neeraj fled towards the tube well. He was by himself, defenceless, and the police surrounded him. He was apprehended by the cops and then delivered to the SP workers. They dragged Neeraj towards their village, mercilessly beating him en route as he was savagely and ruthlessly assaulted to death.”
Munish specifically identified Ashok Yadav, Avnish Yadav, Ram Sharan, also known as Munnu Singh, Pappu Singh, Sunil Yadav, and Ram Vilas Yadav as the men responsible for the murder. “They were Akhilesh’s closest aides and were on contact with him via phone. No one in the vicinity dared to oppose them due to the presence of the entire district police force. The Circle Officer instructed the inspector to dispose of the body, assuring that they would handle everything, after the murder,” he mentioned.
“These individuals beheaded him, kept the head to appease Akhilesh and discarded the body into the river. The SP workers attempted to seize the body upon its discovery. They wanted to make it disappear so that the case could be closed. The head remains missing to this day. It was reportedly sent to Akhilesh in Lucknow inside a briefcase. We pursued the case for a decade, and in 2014, Ashok, Avnish, Munnu, Pappu and Vilas received life sentences,” Munish informed.
Munish continued to receive threats and was even falsely implicated in multiple cases throughout the court proceedings. He added that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reached out to him and provided him with a security guard after taking office.
Read the report in Hindi here.