FIR against Uttarakhand minister for thrashing man on road in Rishikesh: Police

A day after Uttarakhand cabinet minister Prem Chand Aggarwal was involved in a physical altercation with a man on a busy road in Rishikesh on Tuesday of which a video went viral, an FIR (first information report) was filed by the state police, officials said.

The complaint was registered by Surendra Singh Negi, the person who was allegedly assaulted by the minister along with his gunman, PRO and others.

The FIR was registered at the Rishikesh police station under sections 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on Wednesday.

Also Read:Uttarakhand minister Prem Chand Aggarwal gets into brawl, video goes viral

Senior superintendent of police, Dehradun DS Kunwar said, “We have booked finance minister Prem Chand Aggarwal, his PRO Kaushal, gunner Gaurav and three-four unidentified people on a complaint given by Surendra Singh Negi,” he said, adding that they will conduct a fair investigation into the matter.

In a statement by Dehradun police on Twitter, it said they have filed FIRs under relevant sections on the complaints given by both parties.

The statement said appropriate and strict action will be taken against the accused.

“The probe will be impartial, and no culprit will be spared. We request everyone to support us in maintaining law and order”, he said.

The police registered the FIR on the complaint of Negi after his family members, locals, and Congress workers had protested outside the Rishikesh police station.

Describing the incident, Negi, who lives in lane number 4, Shivaji Nagar, Rishikesh, said, “I along with a friend Dharamvir Prajapati was on my way from market to AIIMS police chowki around 1:30pm for some work. We got stuck in traffic near Bhardwaj Hospital. I saw minister Aggarwal’s official vehicle standing in close proximity, to the right side of our bike. As I was talking to Dharamvir, the minister lowered the window of the car. The minister rebuked and said, “what are you saying?” to which I replied it was not meant for him. The minister got angry. He came out of the car and hit my knee twice. Then, he hurled abuses at me.”

“The minister’s gunner and my friend intervened. Suddenly, minister’s PRO Kaushal Bijalwan slapped me. They all joined and beat me. I tried to run to save my life”, he claimed.

Meanwhile, Negi said the police have also filed a ‘fake FIR’ against him.

On the minister’s PSO complaint, Negi, and his friend Dharamvir have been booked under sections 392, 332, 353, 504 and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

The minister’s PSO Gaurav however had an altogether different account of the incident.

“Negi and Dharamvir tried to break the window of the minister’s vehicle by hitting it. When the minister came out to talk, Negi started abusing. He then snatched a PAN card, ₹1,150 cash and religious items from the pocket of the minister’s kurta, held by his collar and tore it down. When I tried to stop him, he tore down my uniform as well and started beating us”, he mentioned in his complaint.

The minister PSO also alleged that Negi threatened the minister and tried to snatch his pistol.

Negi, however, denied the allegations.

“Truth can’t be defeated. Everything is clear in the video”, he claimed.

Jayendra Ramola, Congress leader from Rishikesh said the minister was frustrated by Negi who used to raise people’s issues.

HT is yet to receive a response from the minister on the same.