Thakur Sangeet Som is a BJP politician based in Sardhana, Meerut. He is former Member of Legislative Assembly from the Sardhana constituency.
Sangeet Singh Som | |
|---|---|
| Member of Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 6 March 2012 – 10 March 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Chandra Veer Singh |
| Succeeded by | Atul Pradhan |
| Constituency | Sardhana, Uttar Pradesh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1978 Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Political party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
| Spouse | Preeti Som |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Mall Road, Meerut |
Personal life and education
editSangeet Som was born in affluent agricultural family of Thakur Omveer Singh in Village Alamgeer (Faridpur) in Sardhana Tehsil of Meerut District. He completed his Secondary Education from K.K. Jain Inter college Khatauli a nearby city in Muzaffarnagar District in 1997. Sangeet Singh Som is married to Preeti Som Sangeet and has two children.[1]
Political career
editSangeet Singh Som won from the Sardhana assembly seat with good margin. He is a very popular figure among the Hindu population of the area and has received various titles like “Hindu Hirday Samrat”, "Mahathakur," "Sangharshveer," etc. by different Hindu organizations.
2013 Muzaffarnagar riots
editHe is one of the accused in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots[2] and was booked under the National Security Act on 24 September 2013.[3] Justice Vishnu Sahai Commission's report on Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 has put him on top of the list of those it has found responsible for the flare-up.[4] On 18 January 2017, Som was booked for showing clips from the riots as part of a documentary.[5]
On 7 September 2015, Som alleged that the Samajwadi Party and the Uttar Pradesh police were discriminating on religious grounds in their probe in the Janmashtami clashes, which he said was biased.[6] Contested Indian General Election 2009 from Muzaffarnagar (Lok Sabha constituency) as Samajwadi Party candidate and finished third.
Sangeet Singh Som was named in legal cases related to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.[7] A special MP/MLA court in Muzaffarnagar accepted the closure report submitted by a special investigation team (SIT) of the Uttar Pradesh police in a case against BJP MLA Sangeet Som who allegedly uploaded a video on social media and others who shared it, triggering communal riots in Muzaffarnagar in 2013.[8]
On 13 October 2022, a Gautam Budh Nagar Court found Som, guilty of giving hate speech and convicted him under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant). He was fined and released.[9]
Despite being known as an anti-cow-slaughter campaigner, documentary evidence revealed that Som had been personally associated with two meat processing and export companies, Al-Dua and Al-Anam.[10][11][12] Al-Dua has been described as one of India's leading halal meat export companies which exports meat to Arab countries.[10] Speaking with the Hindustan Times on October 9, 2015, Som claimed he was unaware of having been made a director of Al-Dua, and that as a "Hindu hardliner" it was not possible for him to engage in such an activity.[11] However, the next day, Som admitted to The Hindu that he was a director of Al-Dua for about two years.[10] As per The Hindu, Al-Dua's company website states:"Al Dua Food Processing are specialists in the export of quality halal buffalo, sheep/lamb, goat meat and hides."[10]
On 11 February 2017, the day of the first phase of the 2017 Assembly election, Som's brother was arrested in Faridpur for carrying a pistol into a polling booth.[13]
Political positions
editSom favoured imprisoning Mohammed Akhlaq's family who died in the 2015 Dadri lynching.[7] He also promised bail for the arrested accused in the case.[14]
On 9 November 2018, Singh claimed that Muzaffarnagar should be renamed Lakshminagar.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Sangeet Singh Som's Short Info". Online Magazine. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
- ^ "Moradabad clash: BJP MLA Sangeet Som booked for conspiracy". Times of India. 6 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ "Sangeet Som booked under National Security Act". The Hindu. 24 September 2013. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- ^ "Sahai panel indicts BJP MLA, but recommends no action - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- ^ "BJP MLA Sangeet Som booked for showing 'riot' documentary ahead of UP polls - Times of India".
- ^ "BJP MLA alleges probe into Janmasthami clashes 'biased' - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- ^ a b Sharma, Aman. "Mohd Akhlaq's family should be sent to jail: Sangeet Som". The Economic Times. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ Raju, S. "Special court closes case against BJP MLA Sangeet Som in Muzaffarnagar riots". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ "Court imposed a fine of Rs 800 on BJP leader Sangeet Som for violating Section 144 | txtreport.com". txtreport.com. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Sangeet Som, BJP's leading anti-beef crusader, owned a meat exporting company". The Hindu. 10 October 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
- ^ a b "BJP MLA Sangeet Som purchased land for meat processing unit in UP". Hindustan Times. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
- ^ "BJP Leader Sangeet Som's Links With Meat Export Firms Exposed by Documents". NDTV. 11 October 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
- ^ "UP Elections 2017: BJP Lawmaker Sangeet Som's Brother Detained For Carrying Pencil Inside Polling Booth".
- ^ Ali, Mohammad. "Will try to get bail for Dadri accused, says BJP MLA Sangeet Som". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "Muzaffarnagar will be renamed Lakshmi Nagar soon, says BJP MLA". 10 November 2018.