In an FIR lodged at the Dhalli Police station, NHAI official Achal Jindal, who holds the post of Manager (Technical), alleged that the minister had assaulted him.
Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh has been booked for allegedly assaulting a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) engineer in Shimla on Tuesday.
The incident allegedly occurred after a five-storey building collapsed at Bhattakuffer in Chamyana on the periphery of Shimla on Monday morning. The minister, who is also the local MLA, represents the Kusumpti assembly constituency.
Advertisement
In an FIR lodged at the Dhalli Police station, NHAI official Achal Jindal, who holds the post of Manager (Technical), alleged that the minister had assaulted him.
Advertisement
In his complaint, he stated that Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rural Mangeet Sharma had called him and site engineer Yogesh Verma for a meeting at 11.30 am to review the building collapse. He alleged that the minister, who was inspecting the collapse at the site, assaulted him in a nearby room of a local resident with an earthen pot, causing a head injury.
He further alleged that Yogesh Verma, too, was assaulted when he tried to intervene and that both of them were threatened, following which they fled the spot and reached Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) Hospital for treatment.
The police have registered a case under Sections 121 (1), 126 (5), 132, and 3(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The NHAI Engineers Association condemned the incident and sought the intervention of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. In a written communique to the NHAI Chairman, the association also requested his intervention in the alleged assault on Achal Jindal.
Condemning the incident, Nitin Gadkari stated in a post on X, “The heinous assault on Shri Achal Jindal, Manager, NHAI PIU Shimla, allegedly by the Minister of Panchyati Raj, Himachal Pradesh, and his associates is deeply reprehensible and an affront to the rule of law. 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 serious cognizance of the matter and spoken with the Chief Minister Shri @SukhuSukhvinderji, urging immediate and exemplary action against all perpetrators. Accountability must prevail, and justice must be delivered without delay.”
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sukhu said he has assured Nitin Gadkari that appropriate action will be taken in accordance with the law.
Advertisement
