FIR Against 2 for Pulling Woman Deputy Collector's Hair, 150 Booked for Pro-CAA Rally in MP Without Permission

Rajgarh: Madhya Pradesh police on Monday lodged an FIR against two persons for pulling a woman Deputy Collector by hair during a pro-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest in Rajgarh on Sunday.

The police also booked 150 persons for staging a protest in favour of the contentious Act, despite Section 144 of CrPC being in force in the district.

Violence broke out at the rally when officials and policemen clashed with protesters who were trying to take out a march despite having been denied permission.

In a video that has now gone viral, District Collector Nidhi Nivedita is seen slapping BJP’s district media in charge Ravi Badole, who was requesting the collector to permit the rally.

Another video clipping shows Nivedita’s junior colleague Priya Verma venturing into the crowd, slapping a protester and handing him over to the police. As she catches hold of another protester, several others come to his rescue. The policemen intervene but the protesters manhandle Verma and pull her hair.

Both Nivedita and Verma came under attack from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which accused them of beating up protesters.

The party has decided to send a delegation of leaders to Beora on Monday to demand registration of FIR against the collector and the deputy collector.

In addition to this, the police booked 150 protesters for taking out a rally without permission.

A verbal war also broke out between the BJP and Congress over the incident, with the BJP slamming the bureaucrats for their ‘high-handedness’.

In a tweet, former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “It’s a black day for democracy. The collector has slapped those who were protesting while holding tricolour in their hands. We won’t tolerate this at any cost, even If the collector was ordered by Kamal Nath to do this.”

Congress media coordinator Narendra Saluja hit back, accusing BJP leaders of taking out a rally despite Section 144 being in force and assaulting women officers. “The BJP should apologise for disrespecting women officers and show the door to the leaders guilty of such an act,” demanded Saluja.