Sambhal police on Thursday booked Samajwadi MP Zia-ur-Rahman Barq, an accused in the Shahi Jama Masjid violence, and his father Mamlook-ur-Rahman on the charge of intimidating electricity department officers when they had visited the local legislator’s residence to disconnect the supply for drawing excess power.

An engineer of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) had filed an FIR at Nakhasa Thana against the MP and his father for “stealing” power and intimidating him and other department employees.

V.K. Gangal and Ajay Sharma, two junior engineers of the UPPCL who had gone to disconnect the power supply at the lawmaker’s residence at Deepa Sarai in Sambhal, said that when they were doing their job, Mamlook told them that soon the government would change and he would take revenge on them.

Gangal said: “While the MP had taken a 2KV connection, he was drawing over 16KV power through illegal means. While we were checking the equipment in use on the second floor of the MP’s house, Mamlook said he was recording everything and wouldn’t spare us when the government changes.”

Barq told reporters that the Yogi Adityanath government was targeting him because he had raised the issue of the “murder of four Muslims during the survey of the Jama Masjid in Sambhal on November 24”.

A mob had clashed with the police that day during a court-ordered survey of the Jama Masjid to find out whether the mosque was built by razing a temple during the rule of Mughal emperor Babur. Four persons had died and scores were injured. Burq is among those named in an FIR on the charge of instigation. The MP has denied the allegation.

“I was not in Sambhal that day but the police booked me for instigating the mob. I have moved Allahabad High Court against the FIR. But the government filed one more FIR against me. There is no power theft in my house. The allegation is false and motivated,” Barq said.