india

Updated: Jun 28, 2019 23:35 IST

A Bharatiya Janata Party leader and his associates allegedly assaulted the Satna chief municipal officer and left him seriously injured on Friday.

In his complaint to the police, civic officer, Devratnam Soni, said Ramsushil Patel (the chairman of Ramnagar Nagar Parishad) and his supporters attacked him with sticks after he allegedly resisted pressure from Patel to hush up the financial irregularities he had committed.

Soni is in the hospital and his condition was stated to be serious, the police said.

The police later arrested Patel along with his associates and booked them under various sections of the IPC, including for attempt to murder. The accused were produced before a court which sent them to judicial custody till July 12.

However, before his arrest, Patel also lodged a complaint alleging that it was Soni who attacked him.

The dispute between the two relates to financial irregularities in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, persons familiar with the matter said.

Superintendent of police, Riyaz Iqbal said, “Both sides have lodged reports with the police. We are looking into CCTV footage and will look into both the complaints. However, Patel and others have been arrested.”

The incident has come two days after BJP MLA Akash Vijayvargiya was arrested for assaulting an official with a cricket bat in Indore, while opposing the demolition of a house.

MP chief minister Kamal Nath on Friday said a cricket bat should be used to symbolize nation’s victory, not defeat of democracy, in an apparent dig at Vijayvargiya. “Cricket bat should be used to symbolize the nation’s victory and not the defeat of democracy,” he said.

In a release, the chief minister said, “India has two distinct features. First, it is the world’s largest democracy and second, it houses the largest youth population in the world.Young public representatives, you have the duty to make laws, not to take the law into your hands on the streets.”

“Make your point with firmness and assertiveness without exceeding your brief,” he said.