Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh has been booked following serious allegations of physically assaulting a senior National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official during a site inspection in Shimla district, the police confirmed on Tuesday.
The FIR was registered based on a complaint filed by Achal Jindal, a Manager (Technical) at NHAI. Jindal claimed that he was assaulted and verbally abused by the minister during a joint inspection in the Bhattakufer area on Monday, shortly after a five-storey building collapsed in the region.
The site visit included local residents, the minister, and Shimla Rural Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Manjeet Sharma.
As per the complaint, the incident escalated when the minister allegedly hit Jindal on the head with a water container inside a nearby house, resulting in a serious injury. Another NHAI engineer, Yogesh, who tried to intervene, was reportedly also assaulted.
The Dhalli police station has filed a case under Sections 132, 121(1), 352, 126(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The police have confirmed that a formal investigation is now underway.
According to Achal Jindal’s complaint, he was officially called for a meeting with the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) at 11:30 am on June 30. He arrived at the SDM office along with fellow engineer Yogesh, only to be informed that the meeting location had been shifted to Bhattakufer.
When they reached the site, Minister Anirudh Singh was already present along with the SDM and some local residents. The visit was in connection with a building collapse that had taken place earlier that day.
Jindal said he explained to the minister and others present that the collapsed structure was located about 30 meters outside the official Right of Way (ROW) of the highway. As per NHAI guidelines, this meant the building did not fall under the authority’s direct jurisdiction.
However, this clarification reportedly upset the minister. According to Jindal, the minister began verbally abusing him in front of everyone, and then allegedly forced both him and engineer Yogesh into a nearby house where they were physically assaulted.
"The minister struck me on the head with a water container, causing bleeding. My colleague Yogesh was also beaten and seriously injured. The SDM did nothing to stop the assault," Jindal stated in his complaint.
After the alleged assault, both officials reportedly fled the scene in their private vehicle and went straight to IGMC Hospital in Shimla for medical treatment. Jindal has since requested police protection and urged the authorities to take strict action against those responsible.
In the wake of the incident, the Central Engineering Services Officers' Association has written to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, asking him to step in and ensure justice for the assaulted NHAI officials.
The police have confirmed that copies of the complaint have been sent to the NHAI Regional Office in Shimla, the Himachal Pradesh State Judicial Commission (HPSJK), and NHAI’s headquarters.
The matter is currently under investigation. So far, Minister Anirudh Singh has not issued any public statement regarding the allegations.
Follow us
