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Rajasthan officer's wife reacts to petrol pump slap row: ‘Staff made inappropriate gestures at me'
Deepika Vyas alleged that the incident had been given an “absolutely different angle” and that her “dignity has been put at stake.”
Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) officer Chhotu Lal Sharma has been suspended, and three petrol pump employees were arrested in Bhilwara following a slapping incident on Tuesday at a CNG-petrol station in Pratapgarh.
A CCTV video of the incident shows Sharma allegedly slapping a petrol pump employee following a dispute over service priority. According to police, Sharma objected to a staffer filling CNG in another car before his own, leading to an altercation during which both parties reportedly exchanged blows.
However, the wife offered a different version of events. Speaking to news agency ANI alongside her husband, Deepika Vyas claimed that the petrol pump staffers had made “inappropriate gestures” at her. She alleged that the incident had been given an “absolutely different angle” and that her “dignity has been put at stake.”
She said, “On Diwali, when we had left for our village, we stopped for CNG at a fuelling station. The workers there made inappropriate gestures at me and then proceeded to fuel the car behind ours. I told my husband about it. He got angry, after which there was an altercation between him and the petrol pump workers.”
According to the Police, the CCTV footage does not show evidence supporting her allegations.
‘Hit me with fists and rods’
Sharma, who was posted as RAS officer in Pratapgarh, defended his actions, saying he had gone to the petrol pump with his wife to refuel their car when an attendant “broke the rules” and began refueling another vehicle first. “The attendant even made inappropriate gestures at my wife... He assaulted me as well,” Sharma alleged.
He said he was informed about his suspension the previous night, adding that “a woman’s dignity has been shredded to pieces.” Sharma also mentioned that his children from a previous marriage, his brother’s kids, and a two-month-old child live with him. “I have a whole family to look after. I urge the government to investigate this issue and deliver justice,” he said.
“The petrol pump workers hit me with fists and rods, but that was not shown in the CCTV recording, which went viral on social media... I have come from very humble beginnings, and I have worked really hard to reach where I am. Injustice has been done,” he added.
Police have identified the arrested petrol pump employees as Deepak Mali, Prabhu Lal Kumawat, and Raja Sharma. The matter is under further investigation.
