Indore: Cross-compliant Registered In Assault By IMC Workers Case, Mayor Says Video Shows Only One Side Of Story

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A day after a video showing municipal workers severely beating up some persons went viral, mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav on Monday dubbed the incident unfortunate, but added that the video shows only one side of the story.

“As per my information so far, some people were consuming liquor near the bridge and littering. When some on-duty civic body workers objected to the littering, they were beaten up by them. When other civic body workers came to know of it, they reached the scene and overpowered them. The purported video shows only one side of story,” Bhargav told Free Press.

The mayor said that the law will take its course in the case and whosoever is found guilty will be punished.

The video of the incident, which occurred late Sunday night near Patel Bridge, Central Kotwali area, has gone viral.

According to information, IMC staff was cleaning the street near Patel Bridge when three men Deepak Jat, Sunil Yadav and Monu passed them on a bike. One of them threw an empty water bottle and some garbage on the road following which the municipal workers stopped them for littering.

Meanwhile, another corporation vehicle reached the spot in which inspector Sandeep, CSI Harshit Lodhi, Sunil Karosia and Ajay Bandwal were there. When they came to know about the littering, they asked Deepak and Sunil to pay a fine of Rs 500.

An argument ensued and the municipal employees allegedly asked them to pay Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 500 as a fine. Deepak and Sunil objected to the huge fine and said they will pay the fine in court and not to them. The dispute escalated and they came to blows.

"Three people were injured in the incident. The injured alleged that the municipal staff demanded Rs 10,000 as a fine for littering on the road and when they protested they were brutally assaulted," assistant commissioner of police VP Sharma said.

A case has been registered against four municipal workers and their associates under sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restrain), 294 (Obscene act) and 506 (Criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and medical examination of the injured men was conducted, Sharma said.

Based on a cross-complaint lodged by municipal staff, a case has also been registered against the injured trio for assault and other charges, the ACP said, adding the investigation is underway.

Nikhil Verma, vice-president of the Indore unit of Youth Congress, said the video clip clearly shows municipal workers beating the three men mercilessly with sticks and also kicking and punching them till they became unconscious.

"Still, the police have booked the corporation employees on mild charge of assault," he alleged and threatened to stage a protest if Section 307 (attempt to murder) of IPC is not added to the FIR against the guilty civic employees.