Former minister Krishna Nand Tripathi called the allegations 'revenge', said- CCTV footage will reveal the truth.
Ranchi: Jharkhand politics has heated up once again. A Dalit police constable has accused former minister of the state and senior Congress leader Krishna Nand Tripathi of assault and using casteist abuses. This incident happened when the convoy of the former minister was stuck in a traffic jam. On the complaint of the victim constable, the police have registered a case and started investigation.
What is the whole matter?
According to the information received by the police, this incident happened in Latehar at around 1:30 pm. Dalit constable Ravindra Rikhyasan, posted in the personal security squad of former minister Krishna Nand Tripathi, said in his complaint that there was a huge traffic jam on the road due to Karam festival. The former minister’s car also got stuck in this jam. It is alleged that Tripathi, annoyed with the jam, ordered constable Ravindra to get out of the vehicle and clear the way. “As we tried to handle the situation, Netaji (Krishan Nand Tripathi) got out of the vehicle and started abusing us,” Ravindra said in his complaint.
The constable also alleged that the former minister insulted him with casteist words like “Adivasi” and “Harijan” and said that he was not fit for the job. Following this, Tripathi also slapped him.
Police action
A zero FIR has been registered in the Daltonganj town police station in this case. Daltonganj Town police station in-charge Jyoti Lal Rajwar said that a case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Justice Code and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. He also clarified that the case will be transferred to Latehar police for investigation as the incident took place there.
Former minister denied the allegations
Meanwhile, Krishna Nand Tripathi, former minister of important departments like Rural Development, Labor, Employment and Training and Panchayati Raj, has completely rejected all the allegations against him. He has described this FIR as done out of “revenge”.
Tripathi said in his defence, “I just asked my bodyguards to be more vigilant, got the road cleared and then left for the Circuit House. I did not beat or abuse anyone. Everything is clearly visible in the CCTV.”
He further said, “When my bodyguards could not get the car out of the jam and I got the road cleared myself within a minute, they felt insulted. That is why they have lodged this FIR.”
Police Men’s Association condemned
After this incident came to light, the Latehar Police Men’s Association has strongly condemned it. The association has written a letter to the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) and called it an attack on the honor of the uniform.
Association president Karan Singh wrote in his letter, “If a leader feels that a bodyguard is unfit for his duty, he should complain about it to senior officials, not attack him. There is clear evidence of the incident in the CCTV footage.”
At present, the police have started investigation after hearing the arguments of both the parties. Now everyone’s eyes are on the police investigation and CCTV footage, which will make it clear what the truth is.
Rajan Chaudhary
Courtesy : Hindi News