Nitin Gadkari takes cognizance after Himachal Pradesh Minister assaults NHAI official in Shimla

HP Minister Anirudh Singh Rana. Pic/X (@anirudhsinghMLA)

An FIR has been launched against Himachal Pradesh Minister Anirudh Singh Rana. The Panchayati Raj Minister has been accused of assaulting NHAI officials for allegedly assaulting a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official. The act from Himachal Pradesh's minister has also ignited political chaos in the state.

The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, seeking concern about this incident, has expressed his views on social media platforms. While lashing out at the minister who assaulted the NHAI official, he wrote on X, "The heinous assault on Shri Achal Jindal, manager, NHAI PIU Shimla, allegedly by the minister of Panchayati Raj, Himachal Pradesh, and his associates, is deeply reprehensible and an affront to the rule of law."

The NHAI official Achal Jindal, who filed the complaint against the minister Anirudh Singh Rana, works as a manager in the technical department of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) at Shimla.

It has come to light that the official was assaulted by the Himachal Pradesh minister while he was inspecting the site on Monday. Jindal asserted that a heated conversation between him and the minister turned into a violent assault.

While criticising the attack on the NHAI official, Nitin Gadkari also added that "Such a brutal attack on a public servant performing his official duties not only endangers individual safety but also erodes institutional integrity."

NHAI officials, while addressing the situation, said that the Panchayati Raj Minister was present at the site with some of the locals.

The NHAI Engineer's Association (NEA), while condemning this incident, posted on X, stating that "Shri Achal Jindal, Manager (T), NHAI PIU Shimla, was brutally assaulted by the Minister of Panchayati Raj, Himachal Pradesh @anirudhsinghMLA, along with six others.

He sustained serious injuries, including multiple head wounds requiring stitches, and is currently hospitalized. This is an appalling and unacceptable attack on a public servant discharging his official duties. We demand immediate and exemplary action against all those responsible for this heinous act."

While the official has sustained serious injuries, he has been admitted to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) in Shimla.

Nitin Gadkari, taking the situation on a very serious note, has assured that proper action will be taken against the accused minister and all the other locals involved in this incident. He further said, "I have taken serious cognisance of the matter and spoken with the Chief Minister, Shri @SukhuSukhvinder Ji, urging immediate and exemplary action against all perpetrators. Accountability must prevail, and justice must be delivered without delay."