By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 2 May: Cabinet Minister Prem Chand Aggarwal got into a scuffle with a local youth, Surendra Singh Negi, resident of Shivajinagar, Rishikesh, on Haridwar Road this afternoon.
The minister’s official car was caught in a traffic jam when the incident occurred.
According to reports, there were heated arguments between the two when the youth protested about something. The matter did not end here. According to Aggarwal, the youth misbehaved with him.
Following this, the minister got out of his car and struck the youth. His security personnel then badly thrashed the youth in public. The police soon arrived on the spot and took the young man in custody.
As per eyewitnesses and what is visible from CCTV footage, Cabinet Minister Prem Chand Aggarwal got into an altercation with a young man on the road in Rishikesh. The matter escalated to the point that the security personnel along with the minister ended up badly thrashing the young man. This is not the first time that Aggarwal has landed in such a controversy. The incident occurred when Aggarwal was returning from a programme organised at Bharat Mandir in Rishikesh when he had some argument with a local person near Koyal Grant this afternoon. Due to traffic congestion, Aggarwal’s car had to stop there, which is when this altercation with Surendra Singh Negi happened. In a matter of minutes, the security personnel of the minister got out of the car and started assaulting the youth. The Minister also got out and joined his security persons in beating up the man. All this happened in full public gaze.
The cabinet minister later reached the event organised at Parmarth Niketan where, in response to the questions of the media persons, he claimed that Surendra Singh Negi was making obscene gestures towards his car. When he protested, the youth attacked him, claimed the minister. He added that his Kurta was torn by the young man. He further claimed that he had some money in the pocket of the kurta which was also missing.
He asserted that this was not an attack on a minister but on the system and added that the police are questioning the accused at Rishikesh Kotwali. Soon after the youth was taken to the Kotwali, his friends and a large number of local persons started gathering outside in his support. Some local Congress workers also reached the Kotwali and raised slogans against the minister and the police, demanding immediate release of the youth.
Meanwhile, as the news spread, some senior Congress leaders condemned the incident and asserted that the minister had no right to beat up the youth. They demanded that the Police record his version, too.
On the other hand, reacting to the development, BJP State President Mahendra Bhatt termed the incident as unfortunate. He admitted that, in public life, one should exercise restraint and have control over one’s emotions. He accepted that such incidents do not send a good message among the people.
