Ratlam: Villagers angry over lack of developement tie panchayat secretary to pole

Angry residents of the Bhimakheri village in the Ratlam district held the Panchayat secretary captive and tied him to an iron pole as they were unhappy with the development work being left midway in the village, said Agam Jain, Chief Superintendent of Police, Jawara on Friday.

"A panchayat secretary had gone to carry out an evaluation of the development work in the village. Some people used abusive language against him and tied him to a pole. An FIR has been registered against three people including a woman and the relevant sections have been levied against them," Jain told ANI here.

Villagers, on the other hand, alleged that they were tired with no development work being carried out in the village despite their repeated requests and said they had carried out the step in frustration.

"We face numerous difficulties due to water logging on the streets, we had repeatedly requested the Panchayat head and secretary to get the problem fixed but to no avail. We are neglected and are forced to wade through knee-deep water on our roads," Kaushalya, a local resident told ANI.

The problems faced by the local people probably forced them to carry out this extreme step and hold the official hostage.

The panchayat secretary, Gopal Solanki, accused the villagers of threatening and abusing him while on his visit to carry out official work and said he was harassed for which he had filed a complaint in the police station.