A Bharatiya Janata Party member of the legislative assembly in Uttar Pradesh has been accused of holding three young men hostage and subjecting them to severe torture over the suspected theft of gold bangles belonging to his son. The controversy emerged after the family of one of the victims approached local law enforcement on Friday to demand legal action against the legislator and five other individuals.
The legislator, Kunwar Sushant Singh representing the Badhapur constituency in Bijnor district, allegedly kept the victims confined at his property located in Ratupura village within Moradabad district. Relatives of the victims claimed that the men were suspended upside down, assaulted with sticks and belts, and subjected to electric shocks, leaving at least one of them in critical medical condition.
The formal complaint was lodged by Omwati Kashyap, the mother of victim Ramu Kashyap. According to her statement, Ramu was taken from his home on October 7 by an aide of the MLA named Arjun Kumar. The family stated that two other young workers employed at the legislator's residence, Atul Kashyap and Lavish Kashyap, had previously been detained on suspicion of stealing gold bangles.
During questioning by associates of the politician, the two domestic workers allegedly implicated Ramu, prompting the aides to bring him to the residence as well. The complaint asserts that all three men were held captive and assaulted over a span of two days, with ropes used to tie them up while salt was allegedly rubbed into their wounds alongside the use of electric shocks.
Ramu sustained severe injuries during the ordeal and was subsequently moved to a private medical facility in Kashipur, Uttarakhand, for emergency treatment. The other two men also suffered physical injuries. Relatives claimed they were blocked from meeting the captives and faced threats of severe retaliation if they reported the incident to authorities.
Following these events, Omwati together with relatives and members of the local Kashyap community gathered to urge police action. Complainants were directed to the Thakurdwara jurisdiction after initially visiting Dilari officials, which eventually sparked local protests demanding accountability and the immediate release of the victims.
In response to the accusations, MLA Sushant Singh completely denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the three men had actually injured each other during a mutual dispute. He dismissed the claims of illegal confinement, physical assault, and electric shocks as entirely groundless.
Superintendent of Police for the Rural area, Kunwar Akash Singh, confirmed that law enforcement had officially received the complaint and launched an inquiry. The officer stated that subsequent legal steps will depend entirely on the findings uncovered during the ongoing investigation.