Congress MLA booked for verbally abusing Pune Municipal Corporation official

Representational Picture

A Congress MLA has been booked for allegedly verbally assaulting a Pune Municipal Corporation official and obstructing government work during the inauguration of a water tank in Pune city.

Following a complaint filed by the civic official, Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar is facing charges under sections 353 (obstructing a public servant from performing their duty) and 294 (punishment for obscene acts or words in public) of the Indian Penal Code, newswire PTI reported quoting a an official from Chaturshrungi police station.

The complaint was lodged by Nandkishor Jagtap, the chief of the water supply department of the Pune Municipal Corporation.

According to the police, the incident occurred in the Asha Nagar area of Gohkhale Nagar, where an overhead water tank was inaugurated on January 24.

Local Congress leaders had raised objections during the inauguration, claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party was taking credit for the work, it was stated.

Dhangekar and other Congress leaders had come to inaugurate the tank before the scheduled inauguration, and to prevent any dispute, they were stopped, and during the argument, the MLA used abusive language against him, Jagtap said. Dhangekar represents the Kasba Peth assembly constituency in Pune.

Following incidents of civic officials facing physical assault, verbal abuse, and threats from political workers, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officers held a protest demonstration on Monday, leading to a temporary halt in work.

The protesting civic staff called for the municipal commissioner to establish a dedicated legal department special cell to address such issues.

Last week, during the inauguration of a water tank in the Shivajinagar assembly constituency, workers affiliated with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) obstructed PMC staff from performing their duties.

Congress MLA Ravinda Dhangekar was reported to have verbally abused Nandkishor Jagtap, the head of the PMC water department. The video clip of the incident went viral, prompting the PMC administration to take notice and join the protest.

The PMC engineering department conducted the agitation in front of the civic body headquarters, demanding action against political leaders involved in such attacks.

In their letter to municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar, the staff highlighted the recurrent targeting of municipal officers by political leaders, making them easy victims. They urged the legal department to file police complaints in such cases to address the issue effectively. (With inputs from agencies)