Police have filed an FIR against Ichagarh BJP legislator, Sadhucharan Mahto in an alleged assault case that took place on Thursday at Raghunathpur village in Nimdih. Mahto is accused of assaulting Seraikela-Kharsawan District land Acquisition Officer Dipu Kumar at Raghunathpur under Nimdih police station area in the Seraikela-Kharsawan district. Interestingly, a counter case against Kumar has also been filed by Mahto.
The land acquisition officer assault case has snowballed into a major controversy following protest from the Jharkhand Administrative Service Association (JHASA), the representative body of the State service officials. After receiving a complaint against the BJP legislator, the members have taken a strong note of the attack on its member. The members sported black badges to work in protest.
DC of Seraikela-Kharsawan district Chhabi Ranjan said that an FIR has been lodged in this regard.
He said that the matter is under investigation. He pointed out that members of JHASA are sporting black badges in protest against the incident. “The incident is being probed by SP Chandan Kumar Sinha. Action will be taken against those found guilty,” he said.
“The act by the MlA is a matter of great shame and we demand immediate action against him. If action is not taken against him within 48 hours, JHASA across the State will go on strike,” said a senior functionary of the association.
Denying the assault, Sadhucharan Mahto said that he just opposed the ‘meager compensation’ being given by the land department to the villagers who parted from their land to pave way for widening of road at NH 32.
The police said the legiIJsIJlator assaulted Kumar in a dispute related to payment of compensation to the displaced persons.
SP Chandan Kumar Sinha said that the investigation is on and they will grill both persons in question before taking any action.
Meanwhile, following the incident at Raghunathpur village in Nimdih on Thursday, the work of compensation distribution to the villagers has been affected.
The administration was acquiring land for a project of widening of NH-32. For the NH widening project, the administration is acquiring land from five villages through which the NH-32 passes.
"The residents of Raghunathpur village wanted the compensation at par with the rate being given to the village where the cost of land is maximum. The Ichagarh legislator, leading the villagers, also wanted the administration to pay the compensation at the maximum rate," said an official.
According to police, after gathering that Dipu Kumar had started distributing compensation at Raghunathpur, the legislator had first threatened Kumar over cellphone at about 10 am and subsequently arrived in the village in the afternoon and assaulted.
Meanwhile, Seraikela sub-divisional officer, Sandeep Dubey, who is also a member of JHASA, said a team of state unit of the JHASA is coming to Seraikela for discussion on the issue.