Ahsan Khan demanded Rs 20 lakh and an SUV to end the dharna, police said (Representational)
Fifteen people, including a leader of the Azad Samaj Party (ASP), have been arrested in this Uttar Pradesh district for allegedly demanding Rs 20 lakh and a luxury vehicle from the administration for ending a dharna organised against atrocities on Dalits, police said on Wednesday.
"Ahsan Khan, the state spokesperson of the ASP, demanded Rs 20 lakh and an SUV from police and administration officials to end the dharna," Superintendent of Police (SP) Sudhir Kumar Singh said while releasing an audio clip, in which Khan purportedly made the demand, to the media.
In the 4.57-minute-long clip, Khan is heard talking to a person, who is apparently mediating to bringing the protest to an end.
During the conversation, Khan is heard asking for money and a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) to end the dharna. He also demands suspension of a policeman and lodging of an FIR against him.
The SP said under the leadership of ''Khan and Dharamveer Bharti, hundreds of people were staging the dharna in Ranipur Rajmo Pahilepur village in the Ghambhirpur area from August 14 without permission.
The dharna was converted into a fast two days later and on Tuesday, when a police team reached there, the protesters started raising slogans against them and allegedly indulged in violence, following which they were arrested.
A total of 22 cases, including on charges of sedition, are pending against Khan in different police stations of the district, the SP said.
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