Congress MLA Asha Kumari assaults woman constable in Himachal, gets a slap back

The 62-year-old leader entered into a heated argument with one of the women constables after she was allegedly pushed.

A Congress legislator in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday hit a woman constable after she was stopped from entering the party office in Shimla and was slapped back by the police official.

The 62-year-old leader entered into a heated argument with one of the women constables after she was allegedly pushed. Kumari then slapped the woman constable, who hit her back. (Deepak Sansta/HT Photo)

Asha Kumari, Dalhousie legislator and in charge of Punjab, was allegedly trying to force her way inside the Congress office at Circular Road to attend a review meeting held by party chief Rahul Gandhi to assess its performance in the recently held assembly elections in the hill state.

Party leaders and workers started jostling to enter the office soon after Gandhi went inside the building amid a tight security at the Congress office.

Kumari and former ministers Dhani Ram Shandil and Mukesh Agnihotri got down from their vehicles outside the office and were stopped at the main gate by the constables on security duty.

The 62-year-old leader entered into a heated argument with one of the women constables after she was allegedly pushed. Kumari then slapped the woman constable, who hit her back. She was allowed to enter the Congress office after the fracas.

Gandhi even referred to the slapping incident without naming anyone.

“Raising hand on anyone is against Congress culture. One should leave this kind of things for the opposition, “ Gandhi said.

Kumari blamed mismanagement for the incident and accused the constable of misbehaving with her.

“I don’t regret the incident but I feel sorry for what happened. It should not have happened. The women cop resorted to unparliamentary language and pushed me. In a rage, I raised my hand in retaliation and she also did the same,” Kumari told reporters outside the Congress office.

She denied seeking any action against the policewoman. “So far I have not made any complaints,” she said.

The video of Kumari slapping the policewoman has gone viral on social media.

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, who is in New Delhi, told television news channels that he was unaware of the incident and said further action, if any, would be contemplated after gathering the information.

The Bharatiya Janata Party ousted the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh after bagging 44 seats in the 68-member assembly.