RAIPUR: Police have arrested a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament’s son and ruling party Janpad president who assaulted parents of a journalist after being enraged over publication of a news regarding water crisis in a village in Sarguja district in North Chhattisgarh .

BJP MP’s son and Lakhanpur Janpad president Devendra Singh and his friends were arrested by the police late on Tuesday night following a complaint they reached the house in search of journalist Sanjay Gupta. As he was not present there, MP’s son—who is also an elected representative— allegedly assaulted his old parents and threatened them with dire consequences.

Later, journalist’s parents told local media that they were beaten up with a police belt, showing a metal buckle that fell off during the assault. They also alleged that BJP MP’s son threatened them saying that his writ runs in all the surrounding villages and none should dare to challenge him.

Protesting against the incident, local journalists in Sarguja region called on district collector Kiran Kaushal and superintendent of police Sadanand Singh, demanding legal action against the BJP MP’s son under stringent provisions of law. Late in the night on Tuesday, police arrested the accused from BJP MP’s house and also picked up his friends, who joined him in assaulting the elderly couple.

Cases have been slapped against Devendra Singh and others on the charges of criminal intimidation, hurling abuses and obscene acts, voluntarily causing hurt and criminal acts done by several persons with common intention and arrested the accused.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Kamalbhan Singh, who represents Sarguja constituency in the Lok Sabha, reacted to his son’s involvement in the assault on journalist’s parents saying “I strongly disapprove such acts and intimidating media personnel’s. The law will take its own course”.

