BHOPAL: The matter pertaining to alleged slapping of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) supporters by the Rajgarh district collector Nidhi Nivedita and the female deputy collector in Biaora town of Rajgarh district on Sunday has now reached the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Harshvardhan Sharma, a young lawyer from Rajgarh district, the MP High Court in Indore on Wednesday issued notices to the state’s Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (Home), Rajgarh District Collector, Rajgarh Superintendent of Police and Nidhi Nivedita (Rajgarh Collector in personal capacity) seeking a reply within four weeks.
In the PIL, which was heard by the HC’s division bench in Indore, comprising Justices SS Sharma and Shailendra Shukla, the petitioner had sought an enquiry against the Rajgarh collector Nidhi Nivedita and appropriate action against her in accordance with law.
“We’ve also sought an enquiry into the imposition of Section 144 CrPc in Rajgarh district on Saturday just a few hours before Sunday’s pro-CAA protests. Also, it has been requested that directions be issued to SP of Rajgarh district to accept complaints of the victims and injured and register case against the district collector and other culprits who used force against peaceful protesters,” a part of the PIL read, according to counsel Pushyamitra Bhargava.
“It has also been prayed to quash the impugned order clamping Section 144 of CrPc as also the cases registered for the violation of the order. Further, we’ve prayed the HC to direct the Rajgarh district collector to respect and abide by the law. Also, a magisterial probe has been sought into all incidents which happened in Biaora town of Rajgarh district on January 19,” read another part.
Importantly, videos purportedly showing Nidhi Nivedita and deputy collector Priya Verma slapping some BJP workers during a rally in support of CAA at Biaora town of Rajgarh district on Sunday have gone viral.
A BJP rally was organized in Biaora town on Wednesday, where senior party leaders, including ex-CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan demanded lodging a case against the collector and her deputy.
On Sunday (January 19) a few CAA supporters had taken out a pro-CAA rally in Biaora town sans permission despite prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPc were in place in Rajgarh district.
The CAA supporters reportedly clashed with police and administrative officers, after the Rajgarh district collector allegedly slapped some BJP workers there.
Subsequently, the woman deputy collector too slapped other supporters who carried the national flag and raised patriotic slogans.
Suddenly someone from the crowd of CAA supporters allegedly pulled the deputy collector’s hair from behind and also kicked her, after which the cops cane charged the CAA supporters-BJP workers, causing injuries to many people.
Two cases were registered on January 19 evening in Rajgarh district, including a case u/s 188 of IPC against 600-plus people (many BJP leaders and workers) for violating prohibitory orders and a case u/s 353 and 354 of IPC was registered against two persons for misbehaving with the female deputy collector.