By PTI
JAGDALPUR: A senior Congress leader’s son and his nine associates were arrested for allegedly thrashing police personnel and trying to run a car over them and some civilians after a brawl in Chhattisgarh’s Kondagaon district, an officer said on Monday.
The incident at Kondagoan, located around 75km from Jagdalpur, the headquarters of neighbouring Bastar district, took place at a garba event during the Navratri festival last week.
The arrests were made last week and charges invoked against the accused included attempt to murder and rioting.
The opposition BJP has alleged that such incidents of “misuse of political power” have become frequent in the Congress-ruled state.
“The incident took place on October 13 night at a stadium in the Vikas Nagar area under Kondagaon police station limits. Later, ten accused, including the prime accused, Siddharth Shrivastav, were arrested,” Kondagaon Superintendent of Police Siddharth Tiwari said.
They all were booked under sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 294 (obscene acts), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and others of the IPC and the provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (some of the cops who were assaulted were tribals), he said.
Further investigation was underway, Tiwari added.
Siddharth Shrivastav is the son of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) Secretary Manish Shrivastav.
After getting information that some people have created ruckus at a garba event which was underway in the stadium as part of the Navratri celebrations, Kondagaon Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Nimitesh Singh along with other personnel rushed to the spot, another police official said.
When the cops reached the spot and tried to pacify Siddharth Shrivastav, who is in his mid-20s, and his friends, who were engaged in the brawl, the accused allegedly thrashed and abused police personnel, he said.
Meanwhile, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) also reached the spot to control the situation, but the accused misbehaved with him too, the official said.
Later, Siddharth Shrivastav boarded a car and allegedly tried to run the vehicle over policemen and people present at the spot, he said.
The Congress leader’s son was immediately nabbed, while his nine associates were held the next day, he added.
Slamming the ruling Congress over the incident, BJP leader and former MLA Lata Usendi said when police personnel themselves are not protected under this government, then how the common people will feel safe?
“The incident shows misuse of political power. This is not the first time such an incident has happened. Such incidents have become frequent under the Congress rule,” she said.
Reacting to the episode, head of state Congress’s communication wing Sushil Anand Shukla said Manish Shrivastav is associated with the party not his son.
Moreover, the CPCC Secretary has already declared that law will take its own course and if his son has committed any offence, he will face action, Shukla added.
