Bhopal BMC Employee Attempts To Set Mayor Malti Rai’s Vehicle Ablaze During Protest, Booked

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Chaos broke out at the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters, Atal Bhawan, on Monday afternoon at around 2.40 pm after a civic body employee allegedly attempted to set Mayor Malti Rai’s official vehicle on fire during a protest.

The employee, identified as Sunil Gaikwad, who is associated with the corporation’s garden section and the Samrat Ashok organisation, allegedly arrived at the headquarters carrying a bag.

He reportedly set fire to pages from books and threw the burning papers onto the Mayor’s vehicle, which was parked near the entrance. Mayor Malti Rai was reportedly in her office on the first floor when the incident took place.

Following the incident, BMC commissioner Sanskriti Jain directed deputy commissioner Hirendra Kushwaha to lodge a police complaint against the employee.

An FIR has now been registered in connection with the incident. Meanwhile, Mayor Rai declined to comment on the incident.

Guard sustains burns while dousing flames

The burning papers landed on the vehicle, prompting security personnel and other employees to intervene. Ramsingh Yadav, the guard on duty, removed the burning material from the vehicle and sustained burns to his hand in the process.

Gaikwad also allegedly raised slogans against the civic body and claimed that his child had been expelled from school because the corporation had not made him a permanent employee.

He is reportedly aggrieved over his employment status, while BMC officials said he had remained absent from duty for a prolonged period. Eyewitnesses also said Gaikwad had a bandage on his left hand, reportedly indicating that he had recently received medical treatment.