Rajasthan: Congress MLA booked for assaulting assistant engineer, hurling casteist abuses

Jaipur, March 30 (IANS) A case has been registered against Congress MLA Girraj Singh Malinga from Dholpur's Bari in Rajasthan under SC/ST Act for allegedly attacking an officer working in the electricity department and hurling casteist abuses at him.

According to an FIR registered on Tuesday, Harshadipti (27), working as Assistant Engineer (AEN) in Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (JVVNL) in Bari, was attacked by the MLA and five others accompanying him.

In his complaint, the officer said that he was in a meeting at around 12.20 p.m on Monday when the MLA entered the room with five-six people.

Harshadipti, who hails from Dalit community, said: "As soon as the MLA entered the room, we stood up and greeted him by saying Namaste. We asked him to take his seat but he flung the chair at me."

He also accused the MLA of hurling casteist abuses. According to the complainant, the MLA was reportedly upset with the transformer being removed from the Thakur-dominated village.

Harshadipti said: "I tried a lot to convince him but he kept abusing me and the people who came with him started hitting me with sticks. I requested him to spare me as I am his son's age but a man wearing a yellow shirt trained a gun on my forehead and then they all left.

However, they soon returned in five minutes and assaulted me again. This time, there was a man with them, Sameer Khan, who claimed to be a councillor from ward number 2. He assaulted me with a cricket bat and then hurled casteist slurs too."

Meanwhile, Malinga kept his foot on my face while another man pulled my beard," Harshadipti alleged.

Daulat Khan is councillor from ward 2, while Sameer Khan is his brother and representative.

Along with Harshadipti, Junior Engineer Nitin Gulati was also assaulted and both of them are currently undergoing treatment.

Girraj Malinga and Sameer Khan have been booked under different IPC sections which include section 143A for unlawful assembly, 332 for voluntarily causing hurt, 353 for assaulting or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 504 for intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) as well as Sections of SC/ST Act.