Police in Uttar Pradesh have failed to arrest a now-suspended BJP leader accused of driving a Kanpur farmer to suicide after usurping his land, 17 days after a complaint was lodged.

The wife of Priya Ranjan Ashu Diwakar, who was suspended from the BJP last week, issued a video message on Wednesday urging him to surrender, but the family of the deceased Babu Singh Yadav called it an eyewash and accused the administration of protecting the politician.

Dr Anamika Diwakar, Priya Ranjan's wife, said in the video: “The police and the family stand by you. You return and surrender before the police. You will get justice.”

Priya Ranjan was booked for abetment to suicide, land-grabbing, intimidation and forgery on September 10, a day after Babu Singh ended his life by jumping before a train.

Ashok Kumar Dubey, the station house officer of Chakeri, said Anamika was posted in the physiology department of GSVM Medical College, Kanpur.

Bittan Devi, Babu Singh's wife, told reporters in her village on Wednesday: “We know that the entire police administration and government machinery are standing by the land-grabber leader who is responsible for the death of my husband. We will fight for justice as long as we are alive.”

“The claim that he is absconding is false. He is at his home in Mainpuri. His wife’s video is a mere eyewash. We are learning to understand such tricks, but we are helpless. He has been suspended from the party, but party leaders are with him,” she said.

Bittan Devi had registered a case against Priya Ranjan, then a member of the Child Protection Commission of the state government, accusing him of cheating her husband and grabbing their land.

Babu Singh had reportedly written to chief minister Yogi Adityanath alleging that Priya Ranjan, who had contested the Assembly election from Kishani in Mainpuri district on a BJP ticket in 2022, had taken over his 10-bigha land in adjoining Ahirvan village. Babu Singh’s daughters, Rubi and Kajal, had met senior police officers in Kanpur and handed them "proof" of their allegation against Priya Ranjan.

Anand Prakash Tiwari, the joint police commissioner of Kanpur, said: “Our inquiry substantiates the allegation that Priya Ranjan Diwakar gave a cheque of Rs 6.20 crore to Babu Singh Yadav for his land and took it back after the plot had been transferred to an aide of the politician. Later, Diwakar again refused to pay the money to Babu Singh Yadav, who committed suicide.”

“Priya Ranjan Diwakar is absconding but two of his aides, Rahul Jain and Madhur Pandey, have been arrested. We will arrest him soon,” the officer added.

A senior BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity: “We suspended Priya Ranjan five days after the suicide of the farmer. It is wrong that the government and the police are supporting him. He will be punished for his crime.”