Gadkari Condemns Assault On NHAI Officer By Himachal Minister: 'Deeply Reprehensible'
Nitin Gadkari took "serious cognisance" of the matter and said that he had spoken with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu regarding the same
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday condemned the 'heinous assault" on a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officer, allegedly carried out by Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh Rana, calling the incident 'deeply reprehensible".
Achal Jindal complained that he had been assaulted on Monday during a site inspection where a five-storey residential building had collapsed in the Bhattakuffar area of Shimla.
'The heinous assault on Shri Achal Jindal, Manager, NHAI PIU Shimla, allegedly by the Minister of Panchayati Raj, Himachal Pradesh, and his associates, is deeply reprehensible and an affront to the rule of law. Such a brutal attack on a public servant performing his official duties not only endangers individual safety but also erodes institutional integrity," said Gadkari in an X post.
The heinous assault on Shri Achal Jindal, Manager, NHAI PIU Shimla, allegedly by the Minister of Panchayati Raj, Himachal Pradesh, and his associates, is deeply reprehensible and an affront to the rule of law. Such a brutal attack on a public servant performing his official…— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) July 1, 2025
He further took 'serious cognisance" of the matter and said that he had spoken with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, 'urging immediate and exemplary action against all perpetrators."
'Accountability must prevail, and justice must be delivered without delay," he added.
BJP leader Anurag Thakur, who is also a Member of Parliament from the Hamirpur seat in Himachal Pradesh, also condemned the incident, saying that government officials are feeling unsafe in the state under the current Congress-led government's regime.
'Is there even a government in Himachal Pradesh?" Thakur asked, reacting strongly to the assault on an NHAI official.
'When government officials are being beaten up and no action is taken, how can they feel safe? The Chief Minister must take strict and immediate action against those responsible."
Dhalli Police Station House Officer (SHO) Virochan Negi said that a First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against the minister under Sections 132, 121(1), 352, 126(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The complaint was lodged by Jindal, who serves as the manager (technical) at the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Shimla.
These sections pertain to offences involving assault or use of criminal force against a public servant with the intent to obstruct them from performing their official duties. The alleged incident took place on Monday, according to Jindal's complaint.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
38 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
US Senate passes Trump's 'big beautiful' spending bill, House of Rep. test next
The Republican-led US Senate on Tuesday approved President Donald Trump's mammoth domestic policy bill, dubbed the 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' by the narrowest of margins, despite misgivings over delivering deep welfare cuts and adding another $3 trillion to the national debt.
NDTV
41 minutes ago
- NDTV
'Jinnahwadi Party': BJP Slams Congress After Leader Calls Sikkim A Country
Sikkim, which celebrated 50 years of its integration with India less than two months ago, has been called a "neighbouring country" by a Congress leader, sparking furore and prompting a scathing attack from the BJP as well as the ruling party in the state. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Kumar, who is a former MP from Jamshedpur, was talking about India's "deteriorating relations" with neighbouring countries and blaming the BJP-led government at the Centre for the situation. He cited examples of Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and ended up naming Sikkim as well. On Wednesday, Mr Kumar took to X and apologised for the "slip of the tongue" and "small human error". "Yesterday, in my press conference on 'SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited) 400 crore scam', when I was speaking on the deteriorating relations with our neighbouring countries, I accidentally took the name of a state. For which I sincerely apologise as it was just a slip of tongue," the Congress leader wrote. Yesterday in my press conference on 'SAIL 400 crore scam', when I was speaking on the deteriorating relations with our neighboring countries, I accidentally took name of a state. For which I sincerely apologize as it was just a slip of tongue. I heard from a journalist friend… — Dr. Ajoy Kumar (@drajoykumar) July 2, 2025 "I heard from a journalist friend that @BJP4India is planning to organise a press conference on this small human error," he said, daring the party to hold press meets on the SAIL scam and other issues facing the country. Pouncing on the remark, the BJP hit out at both Mr Kumar and the Congress, accusing it of being a "Jinnahwadi party". "The statement made by Ajoy Kumar that Sikkim is not an integral part of India and is, in fact, a neighbouring nation, shows how he has insulted not just Sikkim but the entire Northeast. Congress has always been against the Northeast. We have seen they have bombed one of the states in the Northeast. They have said bye-bye to Assam in the 1960s," BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla told news agency ANI. "Congress is following in the footsteps of Jinnah. It is a 'Jinnahwadi' party. Just like Jinnah wanted an Islamic state and division of India, the Congress party advocates for a Sharia Islamic state in some parts, and it wants the 'tukde tukde' of Bharat," he alleged. 'Complete Lack Of Understanding' The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), which is the ruling party in Sikkim, said Dr Kumar's remark was deeply hurtful to the people of the state. Emphasising that Sikkim became an integral part of India 50 years ago, Yougan Tamang, who is the press secretary to Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay), said, "The nation knows that Sikkim merged with India in 1975. For a national party leader to make such a blunder reflects a complete lack of understanding of the country's geography and history. It is disheartening and insulting to the sentiments of the people of Sikkim," Mr Tamang said. Urging the Congress to take strict action against Mr Kumar, Mr Tamang added, "Being in politics comes with the duty of awareness. Unscientific and unauthentic statements damage national unity and mislead the public... India is a union of diverse states, each with its own rich history. Political leaders must do their homework before addressing the media."
Mint
42 minutes ago
- Mint
Shiv Sena symbol row: Supreme Court to hear Uddhav Thackeray faction's plea on July 14
The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing on its plea over the contentious Shiv Sena symbol in wake of the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra. The matter was mentioned before a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and K Vinod Chandran which agreed to list it on July 14. The counsel for the Shiv Sena (UBT) informed the bench that local body polls were likely to be notified soon in the state. The counsel appearing for the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction said a similar request was made on May 7 before a bench headed by Justice Surya Kant, also hearing the symbol row matter, and it was rejected. The Shiv Sena (UBT) counsel argued that Justice Kant-led bench had said the matter could be mentioned during the top court's partial court working days. He argued the matter raised the "question of peoples' choice". He said the plea seeks an interim arrangement similar to the one directed by the apex court in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) symbol row case. In November last year, the top court directed the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction to publish a disclaimer in newspapers, including Marathi ones, that the issue of allocation of "clock" symbol was pending in court. The order was passed when the top court was hearing the pleas of Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions over the purported use and misuse of "clock" symbol. The top court on May 6 paved the way for the state's local body polls which were stalled for over five years due to a reservation issue and ordered the Maharashtra election panel to notify it in four weeks. On May 7, the apex court asked the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction to concentrate on local body polls after the party sought an urgent hearing on its plea against the Maharashtra assembly speaker's decision to give the 'bow and arrow' symbol to the Eknath Shinde-led faction. The counsel appearing for Shiv Sena (UBT) had then said the assembly speaker gave the 'bow and arrow' symbol to the Eknath Shinde faction in 2023 based on the legislative majority, which was contrary to the Constitution bench verdict of the top court. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
