BHOPAL: A high-level probe team from Bhopal reached Rajgarh and took statements in connection with a complaint in which an ASI Naresh Sharma said collector Nidhi Nivedita had slapped him.
Principal Secretary Sanjay Dubey and ADG Upendra Jain took statements of the ASI and other officials.
According to sources, collector told the officials that she had not slapped Sharma, but pulled him out of the police car in which he was sitting on January 19 when a pro-CAA rally was being held.
The crowd began to gather, despite a ban on holding any meeting in the district.
During that period, Sharma was sitting in the rear portion of the vehicle which was in the middle of the road.
To control the mob, she pulled the ASI out of the vehicle and took it a little far, and nothing more had happened, she said.
ASI told the probe team that on that day when he was on duty, the collector opened the door of the car and slapped him.
Other than the collector and the ASI, the team took the statements of several people who were present during the event.
According to Dubey, the statements of other people will be taken and a report presented to the government.
In a report filed by SDM, it was stated that ASI had not been slapped.
Nevertheless, a probe into the complaint of SDOP, Saumya Agarwal, the collector was found guilty of slapping the ASI.
On the basis of the report, DGP VK Singh had written to Principal Secretary (home) seeking action against the collector.
The letter of Singh kicked up a row. When Chief Minister Kamal Nath came to know about the dispute between IAS and IPS officers, he formed a committee comprising a senior IAS and an IPS officer to probe the incident.
