Former UP Minister Gayatri Prajapati Hospitalized After Prison Attack: Samajwadi Party Demands Investigation

Lucknow:

Former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prajapati was rushed to hospital Tuesday following an assault by a fellow inmate in Lucknow prison.

Prajapati, who served as a cabinet minister in Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) government, has been incarcerated since 2017 on rape charges.

The incident occurred during an altercation with an inmate assigned to cleaning duties. The confrontation escalated when the inmate struck Prajapati with a broken piece from a cupboard, causing minor injuries to his right hand and head.

Medical staff transported Prajapati to King George's Medical University (KGMU) trauma centre in Lucknow for treatment. Authorities have confirmed he is not in critical condition.

Prison officials immediately detained and questioned the inmate responsible for the attack.

The Samajwadi Party expressed serious concerns regarding the incident, with party president Akhilesh Yadav taking to X (formerly Twitter) to demand "a fair judicial investigation into the deadly attack on former MLA and former minister in the UP government, Gayatri Prajapati, that took place in jail."

Yadav further commented that the incident demonstrates a troubling lack of security throughout Uttar Pradesh.

SP leader Fakhrul Hasan Chaand has called on prison administrators to ensure Prajapati receives appropriate medical care following the attack.