Shimla: The two prominent businessmen Dinesh Sud and Umesh Akre and retired engineer Rajinder Makkar, who had to cool their heels in a lock up for having crossed paths with HAS officer Amarjit Singh on Monday, have demanded registering of a counter FIR against the government official.
Giving their side of the story, the trio said that the government officials misbehaved with the senior citizens out on a morning walk and threatened them with dire consequences when they confronted him for high speed driving on the narrow restricted road.
The confrontation resulted in a minor brawl and the offended morning walkers approached the Chotta Shimla police station to lodge an FIR. To their surprise, an FIR had already been lodged by the HAS officer, the trio say.
The three hold that the SHO of Chotta Shimla police station had kept them in the dark and gave the government official undue benefit of doubt by proceeding with his complaint and only disclosing the sections invoked after 5 p.m., when the courts had closed and they were denied an opportunity of seeking bail.
Demanding registration of a counter FIR against the HAS officer, who is alleged to have been beaten by the three morning walkers with batons, they have also sought a fresh medical examination to ascertain the injuries Amarjit Singh is said to have sustained.
Various organisations, which include, The Mall Business Association, The Arthi Association, Singh Sabha, Sood Sabha, Santhan Dharam Sabha, Hoteliers Association and Doctors Association of Shimla have come out in support of the businessmen caught on the other side of law.
A Himachal Administrative Services (HAS) officer, Amarjit Singh, who was allegedly beaten up three people out on a morning walk has led to their arrest, with the police having registered a case in the matter.
On a assault complaint filed by Amarjit Singh, police had registered an FIR on 11th May and arrested Dinesh Sud, Umesh Akre and Rajinder Makkar after slapping sections of 341, 323, 506, and 34 of IPC on them.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads the team of media professionals at Hill Post.
In a career spanning over two decades through all formats of journalism in Electronic, Print and Online Media, he brings with him enough experience to steer this platform. He lives in Shimla.
Social set up and the human relationships have evolved very differently in Himachal Pradesh as compared to the other parts of our country. Geographical barriers and climatic conditions encourage people to remain isolated to the mainstream behavior and build their super-egos on parochial nuisance power.
Bureaucracy, due to the over-governmental interference in this small state has dominated all economic and social groups. Even businessmen also feel proud to be in company with them. The whole nexus goes like that. All segments of society keeps such conditions in mind and feel privileged to form a page 3 group (jaan pahchan). Even politicians are scared of them in some corners as the insecurity of defeat haunt them even while in power.
And finally, the ordinary people. They are happy to note the current postings of these powerful babus without personally knowing them and discuss such incidents in details, that too because a HAS officer is involved.
These types of incidents are bound to happen at large scale in times to come. This psychology needs to be corrected at this end. Mutual respect for everyone’s work is to be restored. RTI is also failing in containing the non performance and discretion, and therefore, many radical administrative reforms are needed to check the power nuisance.
(Please Note: Without any bias, I have full sympathy with the aggrieved party whoever it may be. My comments are not incident specific but in a macro perspective)