Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Police have registered a case against state Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh Rana and six others on charges of assaulting a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official, raising a political storm with the opposition BJP questioning why harsh sections has not been imposed against the accused.
Dubbing the assault on NHAI Manager (Technical), Achal Jindal, a heinous crime, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, who spoke to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, said such a brutal attack on a public servant “erodes institutional integrity.”
The alleged assault took place in Shimla on Monday after the collapse of a five-story residential building that was close to the under-construction national highway. The complainant, Jindal, has sustained head injuries and is currently hospitalised.
In his complaint, Jindal said the minister sought information about the building collapse from him, which he provided. However, he said the minister used abusive language against him and then called him and his colleague inside a room where they were beaten up.
He said he was hit with a flower pot on his head, which resulted in severe bleeding.
As per the FIR, no one from the administration came to his rescue, and he and his colleague drove to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMCH) for treatment.
In the wake of the incident, the NHAI Engineers Association (NEA) has demanded action against the accused, including the minister.
“Officer safety is non-negotiable. We stand united,” it said.
Calling the incident shameful and condemnable, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said the government has lost its credibility.
“Despite pressure from all sides, the sections under which the case has been registered against the minister are common. The government and the police were attempting to suppress the case. Media personnel were threatened. When no excuse worked, leniency was shown in registering the case,” he said in a statement.
He sarcastically said that when BJP leaders staged a protest, a case of attempt to murder was registered against them, and those who beat up public servants and make them bleed by hitting pots on their heads, the government registered cases against them under minor sections.
“The Chief Minister should also get an inquiry done as to how pressure was being exerted to get work there,” he said.
In his complaint, NHAI official Jindal said, “The minister took us to a nearby room and beat me with a water pitcher, causing head injuries. When Yogesh (his associate) intervened, he was also assaulted. Despite SDM and police presence, no one helped us.”
Locals blamed the collapse of the building on the excavation and rock-cutting undertaken for a four-lane highway project by the NHAI. However, the NHAI maintains that the building that fell was located outside the project boundary.
A horrific video shows the building collapsing after heavy rain. However, no loss of life was reported as the building had been evacuated after cracks had developed on the structure.
Saying the incident is deeply reprehensible and an affront to the rule of law, Gadkari on X wrote, “Such a brutal attack on a public servant performing his official duties not only endangers individual safety but also erodes institutional integrity.”
“I have taken a serious cognisance of the matter and spoken with the Chief Minister, Shri Sukhu Sukhvinder-ji, urging immediate and exemplary action against all perpetrators. Accountability must prevail, and justice must be delivered without delay,” he added.
Joining the issue, former Union Minister Anurag Thakur said the law and order situation in the state has collapsed.
“If a minister himself is doing such acts, then what should the government be doing?” he said.
(IANS)
