Trinamool Congress member of Parliament (MP) Sunil Kumar Mondal was purportedly caught on camera while he was allegedly assaulting an employee at a toll plaza in West Bengal’s East Burdwan district on Thursday.
The lawmaker, however, told the media that he didn’t assault the employee but just pushed him as the latter couldn’t recognise him.
“I pushed him and asked him whether he recognised me. I never thrashed him. I am repentant. I am hurt with what happened,” Mondal told media persons.
Locals said that the MP’s car was crossing the toll plaza at plaza in East Burdwan when the incident took place.
The toll plaza employee, Ujjwal Singha Sardar, alleged that the MP’s car had hit a stopper at the toll plaza. The stopper went under the car and when he requested the driver to move the car, Mondal came down from the car and assaulted him, he said.
“I was not drunk. He abused me and threatened to throw me out of the job. Had I known him or had he told me that he was a MP, I wouldn’t have stopped him,” Sardar told media persons.
“I was in hurry as I had to attend a programme of the chief minister. I have never faced such an incident at any toll plaza. That man was illiterate and drunk. He was not allowing us to go. My security requested him but he was adamant. I was already late. I got down to ask him whether he doesn’t recognise me and I pushed him. I am not denying this. But I never beat him,” Mondal told media persons
{{/usCountry}}“I was in hurry as I had to attend a programme of the chief minister. I have never faced such an incident at any toll plaza. That man was illiterate and drunk. He was not allowing us to go. My security requested him but he was adamant. I was already late. I got down to ask him whether he doesn’t recognise me and I pushed him. I am not denying this. But I never beat him,” Mondal told media persons
{{/usCountry}}The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took a dig at Mondal saying that he was another example of the TMC’s idea of a ‘gentleman’.
“Sunil Mandal, another example of TMC’s idea of a “gentleman”, beat up a dutiful young man for doing his job correctly... We condemn such rampant & unrestricted atrocities of TMC-backed leaders on the people of Bengal...#shameonmamata #shametmc,” tweeted Sukanta Majumdar, BJP state president.