NCP MLA to be arrested for slapping deputy collector: Cops

MUMBAI: The police have registered a criminal case against Suresh Lad, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA from Karjat in Raigad district, for reportedly slapping

MUMBAI: The police have registered a criminal case against Suresh Lad, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA from Karjat in Raigad district, for reportedly slapping a government officer and officials from a private company. The legislator is likely to be arrested soon, said the police.

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The case was registered late on Wednesday night under charges of assault and obstructing a public servant from executing his duties.

Suresh Lad had hit the deputy collector and an employee of a private firm on August 11 over the issues of the land acquisition for a gas pipeline project. After the video of the attack surfaced on social media, the district administration initiated the action.

The local administration deployed heavy police force on Wednesday night amid tension over the possibility of the arrest of the MLA.

A few groups of the state reserve police were deployed in Karjat till midnight.

“The situation is under control now and the police force has been withdrawn. The arrest may take place during the course of investigation,” said an official from the Raigad district administration.

Lad — who was leading a delegation of villagers agitating against the land acquisition for the gas pipeline being laid by a private company — indulged in manhandling and reportedly slapped the deputy collector and an official from the company.

When the officer kept pleading with the legislator to stop, Lad threatened him and said he would lodge a complaint against the officer.

The MLA has however denied the charges, saying the uproar was against the officials of the private company which is illegally acquiring the plots of the farmers. “We had a fight with the officers from the company as it was not following the due procedure regarding land acquisition. I don’t know why the meetings to resolve the dispute were kept at the company’s office instead of at the collector’s office,” he said.

“There was skirmish between us and the company officials, but we never took on any government official,” Lad told HT.

The district administration has taken the thrashing of the officer very seriously, said sources.

“The officer was deputed in Karjat as competent authority for the land acquisition for the gas pipeline being laid in three districts. The officer has lodged a complaint with the Palghar collector and the course of action will be decided soon,” said Satish Bagal, resident deputy collector of Raigad.

The Raigad and Palghar wings of the Maharashtra State Gazetted Officers Federation have convened meetings on Friday to protest the attack.

“We have decided to demand suspension of the elected representative from the respective statutory body for attacking a government officer. We will soon meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over the issue as such attacks are on the rise,” said GD Kulthe, chief advisor of the federation.

Meanwhile, Lad’s party has rallied behind him and said that the legislator was fighting for farmers’ rights.

“Why has the officer not lodged the complaint for the past six days? If Lad has slapped the officer, we should also look into the background of the matter and the entire video clipped should be scanned. The company was arbitrarily grabbing the land of the farmers and the officer was acting as the agent of the company,” said NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik.