'Not all Tyagis are bad, have faith in Modiji and Yogiji': Noida woman abused by Shrikant Tyagi

Days after being abused and pushed by Shrikant Tyagi, for which the self-proclaimed BJP leader has been arrested, the woman resident of a Noida society has posted a video on social media in which she said that not all ‘Tyagis’ are bad and that she trusts “Modiji and Yogiji”, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. 

Tyagi is currently in jail for assaulting and abusing a woman resident of Grand Omaxe society in Sector 93-B of Noida on August 5. He was arrested from Meerut on August 9 after being at large for four days since the incident.

While the Noida district court rejected Tyagi’s bail plea on Tuesday, it granted bail to two of his aides who were accused of harbouring him during the period he went absconding from Noida. 

When the police arrested Tyagi last Tuesday, his supporters had staged protests against the police and the woman for targeting the BJP and the Tyagi community.
 
"Happy 75th Independence Day to all. India got Independence 75 years ago from Britishers. We just want independence from any gundaraj in Grand Omaxe. What happened with me… everybody saw on Twitter and other videos. It was bad what happened to me. The person who did it is getting punished… calling me your sister won’t help. Saying sorry won’t help," The Indian Express quoted the woman as saying in the video. 

Responding to allegations of targeting a specific community, the woman said that her case was only against one person and not a community or political party. 

"I want to say one thing – please don’t make it a political issue. It is not related to any caste, creed or culture. It is about that person. Aisa nahi hai ki saare Tyagis kharab hote hai ya sab Agrawal acche hote. Aisa nahi hai ki saare BJP waale kharab hai. I don’t know if he was from BJP. He used to threaten residents saying he was from BJP. I trust Modiji. I trust Yogiji. They have done wonders for country and they’ll do wonders. Please don’t blame BJP. Please don’t blame Tyagis. All Tyagis aren’t bad. It was him who was bad," she said. 

Tyagi has also been booked for cheating and under the Gangsters Act. The cheating case related to the misuse of a sticker given to MLAs of Uttar Pradesh and a symbol of the state government which were found on his car.

During the press conference on August 9 in Noida, Police Commissioner Alok Singh said: "He (Tyagi) also had a sticker on one of his vehicles which is given to honourable MLAs. Tyagi told police during questioning that this sticker was provided to him by his associate Swami Prasad Maurya."

Maurya, who is now associated with the Samajwadi Party, has sent a legal notice for defamation to the Gautam Buddh Nagar police commissioner for linking him to Tyagi. 

Maurya was a cabinet minister in the first term of the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh from 2017. However, he switched to the Samajwadi Party ahead of the 2022 state elections.

Tyagi claimed to be the national executive member of the BJP's Kisan Morcha and the national co-coordinator of its Yuva Samiti, until he went underground on August 5 after the clip of the spat with the woman went viral.

While the ruling party denied any links with him, the opposition mounted an attack on the BJP, sharing purported pictures of Tyagi with senior saffron party leaders, including its national president J P Nadda.

Tyagi alleged that the episode is a "political conspiracy" for his "political murder". The 34-year-old, who claims to be a BJP leader, also said he has expressed regret over the matter and dubbed it as "political".

"I have expressed regret over the episode. But this is a political case carried out with an intention for my political murder," Tyagi said.