Sanitation workers attack Alirajpur chief municipal officer

Tension prevailed at MP’s Alirajpur municipal council after some sanitation workers beat up the chief municipal officer on Monday over their demand of advance wages to celebrate Diwali.

Tension prevailed at MP’s Alirajpur municipal council after some sanitation workers beat up the chief municipal officer on Monday over their demand of advance wages to celebrate Diwali.

Chief municipal officer Shailendra Sinha was admitted to the Indore district hospital. Doctors attending him said Sinha was brought to the hospital with blood oozing from his ears and high blood pressure.

Sinha’s accountant Ashok Rathore also suffered injuries in the attack, said Alirajpur Kotwali police.

No FIR was registered in the matter.

Sanitation workers had demanded advance wages

Sanitation workers in Alirajpur district get their salaries in the first week of every month. However, keeping in view the Diwali festival, which falls on October 30, the sanitation workers had gone to the chief municipal officer’s office to demand advance wages.

In his statement to the police, Rathore stated that around 2 pm, more than a dozen sweepers barged into the Sinha’s office to demand the advance wages. As Sinha enquired about the fund situation, he told him that the council was already facing fund shortage. “Sweepers started mounting pressure on us. In the meantime some of them started punching us. As a result, Sinha fell on a ground,” the complainant stated. Later, other employees rushed Sinha to the district hospital.

Municipal council chairman Sena Mahesh Patel called the incident as “unfortunate”.

“We should try to get solution of any problem through discussion, instead of complicating the issues,” he said.

Superintendent of police Kumar Sourabh confirmed the incident.