BJP MLA's associates accused of assaulting man on Vande Bharat
What's the story
A 50-year-old man, Raj Prakash, has alleged that he was assaulted at the Jhansi railway station in Uttar Pradesh. The incident occurred after a dispute over seat arrangements on the New Delhi-Bhopal Vande Bharat Express train. The assailants are said to be associates of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Rajeev Singh Paricha.
Incident details
Dispute over seat arrangements
The altercation started when passengers in seats 49 and 52 stretched their legs, blocking access to seats 50 and 51. Paricha's family was seated in these blocked seats. When the MLA asked Prakash to change his seat, an argument ensued. According to Paricha's complaint, Prakash used foul language and threatened his gunner when he intervened.
Counter allegations
Man was left with broken nose
After the incident, a group of eight people allegedly entered the train and assaulted Prakash, leaving him with a broken nose. Prakash alleged that the assailants were associated with Paricha. However, Paricha denied any involvement in the assault and claimed he and his family had disembarked before it happened. He said they were subjected to "mental harassment" during their disrupted journey.
Investigation progress
No complaint from Prakash's side
Only Paricha has filed a complaint. Prakash had indicated he would file a complaint after reaching Bhopal. Superintendent of Police, Railways, Jhansi, Vipul Srivastava, said that Prakash had indicated he would file a complaint after reaching Bhopal. However, as of Friday afternoon, no such complaint had been received by the Bhopal railway police. An FIR has been registered against Prakash based on Paricha's complaint.