District Magistrate of North-West Delhi Sanjay Goel was allegedly beaten up by supporters of BJP MP Udit Raj on Thursday in his office at Kanjhawala in outer district for removing an encroachment in a village, according to sources.
The IAS officer was held hostage in his office by angry villagers who were accompanied by Udit Raj’s Personal Secretary (PS) Parminder and his supporters, said sources.
The Delhi Police registered an FIR after the District Magistrate (DM) lodged a complaint that he was roughed up and pushed around by supporters of the MP and villagers. Following which Parminder and his supporters were booked.
“Around 11:45 am, around 70 men barged into my office in Kanjhawala area.
They threatened me and assaulted me. They held me hostage for 20-25 minutes. The man who was heading the mob identified himself as Parminder and said he was the PS of BJP MP Udit Raj,” Goel said.
The DM alleged that the entire incident was caught on a CCTV camera installed in his office.
Udit Raj, who represents North-West Delhi constituency in the lok Sabha, could not be contacted for his response.
Police have registered an FIR under Sections 186/353/342/ of the Indian Penal Code, detained the MP’s PS and are questioning him.
DCP (Outer District) Vikramjit Singh said: “We will investigate the case and further action will be taken. No arrests have been made as yet.”
Meanwhile Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia condemned the assault on Goel saying this was a deliberate attempt to scare officers and prevent them from doing their duties. “Such attempts would not be tolerated and police should take stern action. All assaulters should be arrested,” Sisodia tweeted. He also asked lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung to provide police cover to all DM’s.
The AAP has also issued a Press release stating it is extremely shocking that the PS of a BJP MP led a mob into the office of a DM and assaulted him in full public view.