A meeting of staff members at Block Changa turned violent on Sunday afternoon when a group of around 25-30 individuals allegedly led by Lamberdar Amarsinghpura, Mushtaq Ahmed, barged into the meeting room and began leveling accusations against the Panchayat Secretary, Satwant Singh.
According to a police complaint, a communication copy of which lies with The Chenab Times, filed by a senior official present at the meeting (name withheld as investigation is ongoing), the group disrupted the proceedings and refused to follow proper channels for addressing their grievances. The complaint further alleges that Mr. Ahmed incited the crowd, leading to threats and abuse hurled at the staff. The situation escalated when some individuals physically assaulted Mr. Singh while he was discussing the issues with the senior official.
The complaint also states that when a staff member, Javed GRS, attempted to record the assault on his mobile phone, it was forcefully snatched away by one of the accused. Faced with a volatile situation, the official immediately contacted the Naib-Tehsildar of Changa, who in turn dispatched police personnel from the Changa outpost. The police arrived at the scene swiftly, rescued the staff members, and brought the situation under control.
An FIR (First Information Report) No. 43/2024 has been registered at the Police Station Gandoh under sections 452 (house-trespass), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 382 (theft), 147 (rioting), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Police are investigating the incident and no arrests have been made so far.
Anzer Ayoob is the Founder and Chief Editor to The Chenab Times