FIR Lodged Against Uttarakhand Minister; Know Why

Rishikesh: An FIR was filed by Uttarakhand police against minister Prem Chand Aggarwal on Wednesday, a day after he was allegedly involved in a brawl with a man on the road.

A video went viral showing the state cabinet-rank minister engaged in a physical altercation with a man on a busy road in Rishikesh on Tuesday.

The FIR was lodged on a complaint registered by Surendra Singh Negi, the person who was allegedly assaulted by the minister along with his gunman, PRO and others.

The minister has been booked at Rishikesh police station under sections 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of IPC.

“We have booked finance minister Prem Chand Aggarwal, his PRO Kaushal, gunner Gaurav and three-four unidentified people on a complaint given by Surendra Singh Negi,” Senior Superintendent of Police Dehradun DS Kunwar said.

Dehradun police said on Twitter they have filed FIRs under relevant sections on the complaints by both parties.

“The probe will be impartial, and no culprit will be spared. We request everyone to support us in maintaining law and order,” police said.

Negi and his family members, local people and Congress workers protested outside Rishikesh police station.

“I along with a friend Dharamvir Prajapati was on my way from market to AIIMS police chowki around 1.30 pm for some work. We got stuck in traffic near Bhardwaj Hospital. I saw minister Aggarwal’s official vehicle standing in close proximity, to the right side of our bike. As I was talking to Dharamvir, the minister lowered the window of the car. The minister rebuked and said, ‘what are you saying?’ to which I replied it was not meant for him. The minister got angry. He came out of the car and hit my knee twice. Then, he hurled abuses at me,” was how Negi described the incident.

“The minister’s gunner and my friend intervened. Suddenly, minister’s PRO Kaushal Bijalwan slapped me. They all joined and beat me. I tried to run to save my life,” he added.

Meanwhile, Negi said the police have also filed a ‘fake FIR’ against him.

Negi and his friend Dharamvir have also been booked — under sections 392, 332, 353, 504 and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC — on the complaint of Gaurav, the minister’s PSO.

Gaurav narrated an entirely different account of the incident.

“Negi and Dharamvir tried to break the window of the minister’s vehicle by hitting it. When the minister came out to talk, Negi started abusing. He then snatched a PAN card, Rs 1,150 cash and religious items from the pocket of the minister’s kurta, held by his collar and tore it down. When I tried to stop him, he tore down my uniform as well and started beating us,” the PSO stated in his complaint.

He also alleged that Negi threatened the minister and tried to snatch his pistol.

Negi denied the allegations.

“Truth can’t be defeated. Everything is clear in the video,” he claimed.