In Bihar's 'Phulera', panchayat secretary files case against MLA after threat

An FIR has been filed against RJD MLA Bhai Virendra in Patna by a panchayat secretary, a day after an audio clip went viral in which the Bihar leader is allegedly heard threatening the official.

In his complaint at an SC/ST police station, Sandeep Kumar, the panchayat secretary of Baluwa in Maner, accused the MLA of hurling casteist abuse and issuing threats.

The spat between the MLA and the panchayat secretary has drawn sharp parallels with scenes from the popular web series 'Panchayat', whose premise hinges on a recurring tussle between the MLA (vidhayak) of Phulera and the panchayat pradhan and the secretary.

THE VIRAL AUDIO CLIP

Now, coming back to the real incident.

Kumar said the incident occurred on July 26, when he received a call from Virendra to enquire about the status of a death certificate for one Rinki (the similarities are unmissable here).

However, the panchayat secretary failed to recognise the RJD MLA initially during the call, which angered Virendra. The audio clip of the incident has gone viral.

"You don't know Bhai Virendra? You want me to introduce myself? The whole country knows me," the voice, purportedly of Bhai Virendra, can be heard saying.

However, the panchayat secretary remains unnerved. "If you speak respectfully, I will do the same. I am not scared of you," he says.

'JOOTE SE MARUNGA'

This left the MLA fuming, who threatened to "beat him with a shoe". The MLA further says, "Joote se maarunga (I will hit you with a shoe) and you can file a case if you want... Anything can happen".

After the audio clip surfaced online, the Block Development Officer (BDO) served a showcause notice to the panchayat secretary. Despite the notice, Kumar filed a formal complaint against the RJD MLA.

Police acknowledged receiving the complaint and said that appropriate legal action would be taken after an investigation.

- Ends