Former education minister and president of the J&K National Panthers Party (India), Harsh Dev Singh, on Wednesday, lodged a written complaint with police against deputy chief minister (CM) Surinder Choudhary for alleged assault by his staff and abusive language hurled by the latter.
Talking to media persons here, Singh, who has a law degree and won the best legislator and the best minister awards, said, “Today, I had gone to the office of the deputy CM Surinder Choudhary to give him a memorandum regarding bad roads. He was in a meeting discussing stone crushers.”
“Eventually, when I handed over the memorandum to the deputy CM, he flung it in the air and started hurling abuses at me. The deputy CM reminded me that I had been staging a dharna (sit-in) outside his office four months ago, to which I told him that in a democracy, people even stage dharnas against the PM and being a politician I am well within my constitutional rights to raise the issues of public importance,” said Singh.
“The deputy CM got enraged and asked his staff to throw me out. Around 20 of his staff dragged me out while deputy CM hurled abuses at me in the name of my mother and sister,” alleged Singh.
{{/usCountry}}“The deputy CM got enraged and asked his staff to throw me out. Around 20 of his staff dragged me out while deputy CM hurled abuses at me in the name of my mother and sister,” alleged Singh.
{{/usCountry}}Showing his ‘torn’ clothing to the media persons and said, “if this can happen to a former minister then what would they do to a common man.”
The former education minister said that he would write to National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and chief minister Omar Abdullah for “uncivilised and savage” behaviour of the deputy CM.
The station house officer (SHO) of the Pucca Danga police station, inspector Rakesh Singh Jamwal said, “we have accepted an application from the complainant. I will discuss the issue with senior officers. I can’t take any decision on my own.”
The deputy CM could not be reached for comment via phone calls.