The Pauri Kotwali police have registered a case against three persons including the Pauri municipal council chairman Yashpal Benam under sections 353 and 504 of the Indian Penal Code. The trio is accused of assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty (section 353) and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace (section 504). The police lodged the case based on a report filed by the district excise officer Prabha Shankar Mishra.
It is pertinent to mention here that the report against Benam and other had been lodged earlier on April 24. However, the police registered a case after local media persons raised the issue with cabinet minister and district minister in charge Yashpal Arya during a meeting in Pauri on April 27.
The media persons also pointed out to the cabinet minister that despite the municipal council chairman being found guilty earlier of the misuse of funds and other financial irregularities in the inquiry report submitted by the Pauri district magistrate and Garhwal commissioner, no action had been taken by the State Government so far in this regard.
Apart from this, no action had been taken on the complaint submitted to the police on April 8 by 79-year-old social worker Bhagwan Verma against Benam accusing him of abusing him and issuing a threat to life purportedly in response to information sought under the Right To Information Act. The Pauri senior superintendent of police, Mukhtar Mohsin said that a case had been registered against three persons for disturbing a Government officer on duty, threatening and abusing him. Action will be taken after the probe report is received from the investigating officer. The district excise officer Prabha Shankar Mishra stated in his report lodged with the police that on the instruction of district magistrate, he reached the chamber of the DM where visitors were involved in a discussion regarding opening of a licensed liquor shop.
He stated that when he was asked for information, he replied that the licensed shops had been opened according to the prescribed norms. Reacting to this, Benam, one Sarita Negi and one Ashok Bisht allegedly started abusing the district excise officer, purportedly threatening to kill him while shouting at him to leave Pauri. Mishra further stated in his report that the incident had taken place in their presence of the district magistrate and senior superintendent of police when he was discharging his official duty.