‘Sustained injuries to eye, face’: Uttarakhand official accuses BJP MLA, supporters of assaulting him in his office

The complainant accused the MLA and supporters of launching a “deadly assault” against him. The group allegedly locked the door from inside and levelled a tirade of insults before his staff could enter, the complaint said. An FIR has not yet been registered.

The complaint

The complaint claimed that Kumar entered the office around 12 pm on Saturday. “Immediately upon entering the Director’s chamber, the MLA began abusing the staff and ordered them to leave the room. The people accompanying him also threatened the staff to step outside. As soon as the staff left, the MLA instructed his associates to close the door from inside and directed others to seize my mobile phone. I was then alone in the room, while the MLA and his associates continuously hurled abuses at me and demanded that a matter relating to a Government Primary School be resolved immediately in their presence. I informed him that the matter had already been forwarded to the Government of Uttarakhand and that a decision could only be taken at the government level,” Naudiyal alleged in his complaint.

The complaint goes on to allege that the MLA and his associates continued to threaten to kill him. The staff informed police at 12.37 pm and sought immediate assistance. “After some time, following insistence by the staff, the door was opened, and they entered the chamber. The staff attempted to intervene, but the MLA and his associates became violent and resorted to physical assault. They also abused and misbehaved with female staff members. When the staff tried to protect me, he and his associates launched a deadly attack on me and also assaulted the staff who intervened in my defence, causing injuries to several employees and me,” Naudiyal alleged.

He further accused the BJP MLA of tearing official files and snatching documents, as well as of vandalising the office and throwing furniture at the staff. “I sustained serious injuries to my eye and face and was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment,” the complaint read.

Naudiyal’s complaint also alleged that, as the group exited, they allegedly threatened him, saying, “You have escaped today, but next time we will not spare you,” and also threatened to shoot his staff. Besides an FIR, Naudiyal sought protection to be provided to safeguard his life and property.

A purported video of the incident shows some persons hurling things at Naudiyal.

Speaking to the media, Kau rejected the allegations. “We went there with only six people to discuss renaming a school after Padam Singh Rawat, whose family has been requesting this for months. We did not assault anyone, and the chaos seen in the video was caused by their own people,” he said. Kau said he was seeking an update on the issue and a copy of the letter written to the secretariat. “Had I planned anything, I would have gone with thousands,” the BJP MLA said.

Meanwhile, the state president of the Government Teachers’ Association, Ram Singh Chauhan, said that the unions of government officials will convene on Sunday to seek the arrest of the MLA. “How can an MLA act like a thug? He belongs to the party that runs the government. This is concerning every government official and puts everyone at risk,” he said.

Officials at the directorate said that Naudiyal was scheduled to retire on February 28.

The complaint has been lodged at Raipur police station in Dehradun, where officials said the matter is being discussed among the parties.

Employees of the Directorate staged a protest outside the office and announced a boycott of board examinations over the alleged assault.

The Congress has condemned the incident and sought action against the MLA. Party spokesperson Garima Dasauni said this incident is not only an assault on the dignity of a senior administrative officer but also demoralising for the entire governance and administrative machinery. “When elected representatives themselves take the law into their own hands and resort to such violent actions, how can ordinary citizens be expected to follow the law?” she asked.

The BJP has termed the incident “unfortunate” and has condemned it. State party president and Rajya Sabha MP Mahendra Bhatt clarified that the party is completely opposed to any form of disorder and violence. He said the party has taken cognisance of the incident and that it would soon seek a detailed explanation from Kau concerning the episode.