Video shows congressional workers blackening the face of senior official CP Patel during a protest in Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal:
Twenty-two congressional workers in the flood-affected Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh have been charged with “attempting to assassinate” a senior district official, whose face was blackened during a protest on Friday, police said today.
A recording of the incident, widely shared on the Internet, shows a large crowd of Congressional workers being held by police and subdivision magistrate CP Patel during a protest in the Chaurai town of Chhindwara to seek compensation for damages caused by recent floods.
The video shows Congressional Leader Bunty Patel silencing the crowd amid speeches and slogans, and then lunges forward to smear a black substance on Senior Officer Patel’s face.
छिंदवाड़ा में मुआवजे की मांग को लेकर @INCMP प्रदर्शन करने पहुंचे, और एसडीएम के चेहरे पर कालिख पोत दी! @ndtvindia@ndtv@ChouhanShivraj@CMMadhyaPradeshpic.twitter.com/wadNzqEmyV
– Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary) September 18, 2020
“After the protesters stained the face of the SDM with black color, 22 congressional workers, including Bunty Patel, were booked,” said Police Superintendent Vivek Agrawal, adding that the provisions of the Disaster Management Act of 2005 they have also been invoked based on a complaint. presented by Mr. Patel.
In its complaint, the SDM has said that the defendant “tried to strangle me.”
While the Congressional party district unit distanced itself from the incident saying that Bunty Patel’s actions are his, the head of the BJP district unit, Vivek Sahu, demanded strict action against all congressional workers involved.
“Congress has been holding protests to draw the administration’s attention to the problems facing ordinary people and farmers in flood-affected areas. But the actions of Bunty Patel (blackening officer’s face) were made by themselves, “said the head of the district’s congressional office. Anand Bakhshi told the PTI news agency.
Administration officials have also submitted a memorandum to authorities demanding strict action against the accused.
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