“‘Kutte gaadi saaf kar’: Samajwadi Party MLA Shazil Islam booked under SC/ST Act for slapping and hurling casteist abuses at his driver”, Opindia, November 1, 2023:

“An FIR has been registered against Samajwadi Party MLA Shazil Islam under the SC/ST Act in the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly assaulting and hurling casteist slurs at his driver. Complainant Dharmendra who hails from the Dalit (Scheduled Caste) community alleged that MLA Shazil Islam Ansari slapped him and used casteist abuses against him on Saturday (28th October) over the cleanliness of his car.

Reportedly, the Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhojipura Shazil Islam was to catch a train for Bareilly from Lucknow. According to complainant Dharmendra Kumar, a resident of Prem Nagar in Bareilly, he arrived at the railway station on Friday (27th October) night, however, the train was late by many hours and he fell asleep while waiting for the Samajwadi Party MLA.

When the train arrived in the wee hours of Saturday, MLA Shazil Islam Ansari reached near the car and said the car is dirty. To this, as claimed by the Dalit victim, he told the MLA that the car got dirty as it was parked at the railway station for many hours. This, however, enraged the Samajwadi Party MLA who allegedly slapped and abused Kumar…..”

Read the full article at Opindia.com