The police have lodged an FIR against an aide of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after a journalist complained that he was assaulted during the Congress leader's visit to the village where 10 people were shot dead last month.
A day after the Congress general secretary visited Umbha village in Sonbhadra district, the state government on Wednesday also accused her of distorting facts.
Ghorawal police station in-charge C P Pandey confirmed that an FIR has been filed based on the journalist Nitish Kumar Pandey's complaint.
The journalist covering the Congress leader's visit for a regional TV channel had complained that her personal secretary Sandeep Singh had assaulted and threatened him.
A purported video of the aide misbehaving with a journalist during her visit had also surfaced on social media.
It showed the reporter asking the Congress leader a question on the scrapping of special status for Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370. He was pushed back and an argument started.
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The aide is heard accusing the reporter of being pro-BJP and asking questions for money at the behest of that party.
Attacking Priyanka Gandhi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's media advisor on Wednesday asked her not to shed crocodile tears, echoing the remarks made by UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma.
The spokesperson blamed the Congress for the land dispute over which the killings took place.
"Your party MLC Maheshwar Prasad Narain Singh constituted Adarsh Krishi Sahkari Samiti, Umbha with 12 of his relatives and usurped 1300 bigha land,'' Mirtyunjay Kumar tweeted in Hindi.
Stop shedding fake and crocodile tears and seek pardon from the victims," he added.
He said the Congress leader should update her information as a police outpost has already been set up in Umbha village.
"No case has been lodged against any villager after the incident and no Goonda act has been invoked against anyone. For hiding the sins of the Congress, don't distort facts," he said.
Chief Minister Adityanath himself has announced that land rights will be given to the poor, he added.
"The job of grabbing land cannot be done better than by you (Congress) and if you don't believe it, you can ask Robert Vadra," Kumar said, in an apparent reference to accusations faced by the Congress leader's husband.
On Tuesday, the media advisor had on Tuesday tagged the video which showed the journalist being pushed by the man described as Priyanka Gandhi's aide.
"Priyanka Gandhiji, please stop the theatrics of wiping the tears of the poor," he had then tweeted.
He asked where were those who claim to be on the side of press freedom when Gandhi's secretary misbehaved with a journalist, and she did not say anything to him.
"The UP government is committed to ensuring the security of journalists," Kumar said.