Assault on NHAI officials: BJP's Himachal state in-charge seeks NHRC's intervention

Shimla, Jul 3 (PTI) The BJP state in-charge and former Rajya Sabha MP Avinash Rai Khanna has sought intervention from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) following the attack on a National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials in Shimla allegedly by state's Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh.

In a letter sent on Wednesday to the NHRC, Rai termed the incident a violation of human rights and requested the human rights body to take action and direct the government in this regard. A copy of the letter was made available on Thursday by the BJP.

The matter pertains to an alleged assault on National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) employees, Achal Jindal, a manager of a four-lane project in Shimla, and his associate Yogesh, who reportedly were called to a room by Singh and beaten up.

The minister, at a press conference on Wednesday, denied the allegations and said that "the FIR does not mean that I am guilty." He also claimed widespread irregularities in road construction works by the NHAI and called its officials the "most corrupt in the country." Meanwhile, the NHAI Engineers Association, in the letter to NHRC, also demanded action against the minister and six others for their alleged assault on Jindal and said that the official had sustained serious injuries to his head.

The alleged incident occurred on Monday when the minister was inspecting a building collapse site in Bhatta Kuffar in his assembly constituency Kasumpti in the suburbs of Shimla city and called NHAI officers there.

The NHAI officials alleged that they were beaten by the minister inside the room.

On Tuesday, Singh was booked for wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, criminal force to deter a public servant while performing his duty and intentional insult after Jindal filed a police complaint.

The minister, in his defence, claimed that the NHAI officials' behaviour was "inappropriate", following which the residents lodged complaints against the officials.

The owner of the collapsed building, Ranjana Verma, has filed a complaint against the NHAI and the company engaged in the project after the building collapsed.

Two more cases were also registered against the two NHAI officials by eight residents of Bhatta Kuffar, whose houses have been affected, and a ward member of Chamiyana Panchayat for wrongful restraint, endangering life or personal safety of others, intentional hurt and criminal liability of several people.

Condemning the "heinous assault" on NHAI officials, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday wrote on Facebook that "I have taken serious cognisance of the matter and spoken with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, urging immediate and exemplary action against all perpetrators following which the CM said that action would be taken as per the law." PTI BPL AMJ AMJ