Sendhwa (Madhya Pradesh): Sendhwa town of Barwani district witnessed a bizarre incident where local MLA personnel assistant Vijay Pathak and employment assistants and secretaries entered into a scuffle over the right to information (RTI).
Both Pathak and over dozen of panchayat secretaries and employment assistants lodged a cross complaint against each other accusing assaulting each other.
Vijay Pathak, close to Sendhwa MLA and considered to be PA, told me that I stopped at a tea shop in front of Agarwal Midway, while Panchayat secretaries and employment assistants Bablu Chouhan, Ravi Rathod, and other 30 to 40 panchayat secretaries from different gram panchayats came there on motorcycles and snatched the key of my motorcycle, and my mobile.
Pathak added that they forcible asked me to give in writing that I do not want information and we will not give information, we are getting troubled by investigations. They threatened me with death and also assaulted me.
He added that his life is in danger, and they keep threatening to kill him.
About what information he sought under the RTI, Pathak told that he sought information on the works done in various panchayats under the RTI Act and the hearing of appeals in the State Information Commission of most of the panchayats is also going on. Pathak submitted a complaint application to the police station.
Here, the Panchayat Secretaries made an application on Vijay Pathak demanding money in lieu of taking information about the Panchayats and told that Vijay Pathak assaulted Dharamsingh, the employment assistant of Gram Panchayat Jampati, Panchayat Secretaries and Employment Assistants told through the application that Vijay Information is sought by the reader under the right to information, and money is demanded, even today, in lieu of information, Dharamsingh, secretary of Gram Panchayat Jampati, was called to the tea shop and demanded money and was beaten up. The police took the matter into investigation by taking the applications of both parties.
On the other hand, panchayat secretaries also accused Pathak of demanding money in lieu of taking information about the panchayats and told that Pathak assaulted Dharamsingh, the employment assistant of Jampati Gram Panchayat.
Panchayat secretaries and employment assistants submitted an application to the police. They told that Pathak called Dharamsingh to the tea shop and demanded money and was beaten up. The police took the matter into investigation by taking the applications of both parties.
