Abdul Majid
ET Report
SRINAGAR, Aug 14: A ruling PDP MLA for Gulmarg, Mohammad Abbas Wani, has allegedly manhandled a government official, angering Horticulture employees who have threatened to go on a strike if the lawmaker doesn't apologise.
Wani was accused of beating to pulp a Horticulture Development Officer, Kunzer, Shabir Ahmad Ganai on Thursday.
Ganai said the MLA wanted him to issue production certificates for issuance of Kissan Credit Card (KCC) in favour of three persons who, however, were not eligible to avail the facility.
"The MLA wanted him to issue production certificates to three applicants-Sumera, Parvez Mir and Raja Begum-for the (KCC). But the trio was not eligible, as they don't own orchard land. Our colleague explained his position to the MLA but the latter summoned him to his Tangmarg residence where he was beaten to pulp," a group of Horticulture employee said.
"As if this was not enough, the MLA after beating our colleague, made phone calls to some senior government functionaries including Horticulture Minister, asking them to transfer this 'erring official' henceforth," they said.
The Horticulture officials said, "The physical assault by the MLA on our colleague is totally unacceptable. We'll go on a strike if the MLA doesn't apologise."
But the MLA denied the charges. He said he was only highlighting the issue of a helpless woman who had sought the KCC, but the Horticulture Officer verbally abused her in his presence.
"Seeing a poor woman being harassed and humiliated by an official, I couldn't tolerate and had a verbal altercation with the erring official as to how come he could abuse her," Wani told Early Times.
He said, "Since I became an MLA seven months ago, there has been no complaint against me. This seems to be a conspiracy hatched by people like (ex-MLA) Ghulam Hassan Mir, who are hell bent to spoil my image."
He said he would be the "last person to remain silent to abuse of any Kashmiri woman." |
