SBSP leader Arvind Rajbhar booked for disrupting operations at Mau Railway Station-OxBig News Network

Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) leader Arvind Rajbhar and around two dozen of his supporters have been booked allegedly for disrupting operations at Mau Railway Station, an official on Saturday said.

The police action came after the matter was raised by Ghosi Lok Sabha MP Rajeev Rai.

Arvind Rajbhar, the son of SBSP chief and Uttar Pradesh Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, is the party’s general secretary.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) filed a chargesheet against Arvind Rajbhar and 25 unidentified persons in the Railway Court in Varanasi after investigation, Inspector, Mau, Ajay Kumar Singh, told PTI.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Rai defeated Rajbhar by a margin of over 1.62 lakh votes.

Rai said the DRM of Varanasi, in a letter dated July 17, informed him that neither Rajbhar nor any other person from his party sought permission to take a “tour” of the railway station which obstructed train operation.

“On the afternoon of March 19, Arvind Rajbhar along with some of his supporters and mediapersons (20-25) held a press conference in an unauthorised manner due to which there was a great inconvenience to rail operation, discharge of duty by the railway personnel and the passengers,” the letter said.

“In this regard, a case was registered against Arvind Rajbhar and 20-25 unknown persons on April 4 under the Rail Act at the Railway Protection Force post, Mau,” it said.

Rai on Saturday said that he had earlier raised concerns in Parliament about the state of the railway station.

“About four days later, this self-proclaimed ‘rail minister’ arrived at the station with his supporters, inspected the station and said that the local MP was lying. He also held a press conference at the platform. This infuriated me since I am the elected MP from this place,” Rai told PTI.

“Who gave him the permission to hold a press conference on the platform? The stoppage time of the trains are barely two minutes. When hundreds of people are boarding and deboarding the train, and if any untoward incident happens, then who will be responsible for it?” he asked.

Rajbhar on his part told PTI that he was at the railway station to receive someone and did not conduct any inspection.

“I had gone to the railway station to receive someone when some journalists quizzed me about the local MP’s statement about the poor state of the railway station, I just said that the MP must know the change the station had undergone since 2003. But he went on to charge me with unauthorised inspection,” he said.