Assault on officers had become norm in last 15 years in MP: Kamal Nath

In a veiled reference to previous BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, state Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Saturday said that incidents of assault against government officials had become a norm in the last 15 years but had never come to the fore.

Senior Congress leader and Chief Minister Nath also lauded the police for its quick action in the cases.

"It is really saddening, this had become their habit in the last 15 years. It didn't come to light then. Now it has come to light. Police have taken quick on such issues which is commendable. Police also must take strict action if any such incident occurs in the future," Nath said when asked to respond on multiple incidents of assault against officials in the state.

In a week, two incidents took place in the state, in which government officials were allegedly thrashed.

In one incident, Akash Vijayvargiya, son of senior party leader Kailash Vijayvargiya, was arrested for thrashing a Municipal Corporation officer on June 26. The case has been transferred to Bhopal's Special Court. He was sent to judicial custody till July 7 but today was granted bail by a special court in Bhopal.

While in another case, the official, Devratna Soni, who heads the Satna Nagar Panchayat Office, has sustained injuries after he was allegedly beaten up by BJP Panchayat president, Ram Sushil Patel, and others with sticks outside the 'nagar parishad' (city council) office, according to a video. Patel was arrested in an alleged connection with the case and was later sent to judicial custody by Amarpatan Court in Satna.