Dalit bodyguard alleges ex-Congress minister slapped him over traffic jam
What's the story
A Dalit police constable, Ravindra Rikhiyashan, has accused former Jharkhand minister Krishna Nand Tripathi of slapping him and using casteist slurs. The incident allegedly took place when the Congress leader's convoy got stuck in a traffic jam due to the Karam festival in Latehar. Rikhiyashan, who was part of Tripathi's personal security detail, claimed he was asked to clear the road.
Claims
Called 'adivasi' and 'harijan'
"As we tried to manage the situation, Neta ji arrived and began hurling abuses," Rikhiyashan told The Indian Express. Rikhiyashan alleged that he was called an "adivasi" and a "harijan" and told he was unfit for the job. He also alleged that Tripathi slapped him during the incident. The officer-in-charge of Daltonganj Town police station confirmed that sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 have been invoked in this case.
Denial and defense
FIR filed out of revenge, says Tripathi
However, Tripathi, who served as the minister of Rural Development, Labour, Employment & Training and Panchayati Raj, has denied the allegations. "I only asked my bodyguards to be more alert...and then left for the Circuit House. I did not assault or abuse anyone. Everything is visible in the CCTV," he said. "When they (the bodyguards) refused to move the vehicle, and I managed to get it cleared within a minute, they felt insulted. That is why they registered the FIR."
Association's stance
Latehar Police Men's Association demands action
The Latehar Police Men's Association has condemned the incident as an attack on the dignity of uniformed personnel. In a letter to the state Director General of Police, association president Karan Singh wrote, "If a leader feels a bodyguard is unfit, he must report it to senior officers, not assault him." "The CCTV footage has clear evidence of the incident," Singh said.