Govt officials seen 'slapping' BJP workers: MP HC seeks reply

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday sought a reply from the state authorities over an incident where government officials allegedly slapped a few BJP workers during a rally in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in Rajgarh district.

Justices S C Sharma and Shailendra Shukla of the Indore bench of the high court issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Rajgadh district collector Nidhi Nivedita and other officials, seeking replies within four weeks.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Harshvardhan Sharma, a Rajgarh-based lawyer.

A video purportedly showing collector Nivedita and deputy collector Priya Verma slapping some BJP workers during a rally in support of the CAA at Biaora in the district on Sunday had gone viral.

Orders prohibiting public gatherings under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) were in force when the rally was held.

The PIL alleged that the collector and her deputy misused their powers and slapped BJP workers who were holding the national flag in their hands, said the petitioner's lawyer Pushyamitra Bhargava.

It requested the court to revoke the powers of executive magistrate accorded to the two officers and order a magisterial inquiry into the incident, Bhargava told reporters.

It also demanded that the prohibitory orders imposed under CrPC section 144, banning protests across the state, be lifted as they violate people's constitutional rights, he said.