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Four MLAs booked for ruckus at Joint Registrar’s office in Nagercoil

Congress MLAs Prince, Rajesh Kumar and DMK MLAs Mano Thangaraj and Suresh Rajan might face action under the SC/ST Act.

March 29, 2018 03:10 pm | Updated 03:27 pm IST - NAGERCOIL:

Congress MLAs J.G. Prince and S. Vijayadharani. File

Congress MLAs J.G. Prince and S. Vijayadharani. File

The Nesamony Nagar police have registered case under five Sections of Indian Penal Code against four MLAs from the district on charges of ‘unleashing terror’ inside a government office and abusing and threatening the officials including women employees of the Office of Joint Registrar of Cooperative Societies on Wednesday.

Alleging irregularities in the first phase of the cooperative society polls, Congress MLAs J.G. Prince (Colachel), Rajesh Kumar (Killiyoor) and S. Vijayadharani (Vilavancode) and DMK MLAs T. Mano Thangaraj (Padmanabhapuram), N. Suresh Rajan (Nagercoil) and S. Austin (Kanniyakumari) barged into the office of the Joint Registrar of Cooperative Societies around 10.45 a.m. on Wednesday and verbally abused P. Nadukaattu Raja, Joint Registrar of Cooperative Societies and Returning Officer, for not standing up to receive them.

While Ms. Vijayadharani was occupying silently one of the chairs in front of the officer and witnessing the ruckus happening around her, Mr. Austin was pacifying the highly agitated MLAs, especially Mr. Prince and Mr. Suresh Rajan, yelling at the Joint Registrar for not getting up from his chair to receive them.

Staff attacked

Even as MLAs-led ruckus was going on, their supporters assaulted one of the staff member, who is undergoing treatment at Government Medical College Hospital at Aasaaripallam for the injuries he sustained in the attack.

Furnitures, water bottles and lights were also damaged in the commotion.

“I, the Returning Officer (of the cooperative polls) now, need not rise from my chair to receive anyone noisily barging into my office without permission. Since they prevented me from discharging my duty, unleashed panic on the office premises by damaging government properties, abused every government servant present in this office and assaulted one of my subordinates, I preferred a complaint with the police. I’ve also formally updated my higher-ups on the unpleasant happenings in my office,” Mr. Nadukaattu Raja told The Hindu adding that the safety and security of his subordinates were paramount.

Caste slur

Some of the officials present in the office at the time of the ruckus alleged that some of the “rioting” MLAs abused the Dalit officer by referring to his caste.

“If the MLAs are allowed to go scot free, there will be no safety for the Dalit officers inside the government offices. So the police should register a separate case under the provisions of SC / ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against the MLAs who abused the Joint Registrar by referring his caste. We’ll prove all these charges against the MLAs in the court with the clippings that has gone viral on social media,” said the subordinates of the Joint Registrar. “Those who behaved in unruly manner and trigger terror in this government office should be arrested”.

Based on a complaint lodged by the Joint Registrar, Nesamony Nagar Police on Wednesday night registered case against MLAs Prince, Suresh Rajan, Mano Thangaraj and Rajesh Kumar and some of their supporters under sections 147 (rioting), 294(b) (using abusive language), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharging duty) and 506(i) (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

They were also booked under section 4(i) of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment Act for using abusive language and harassing women staff and section 3(i) of the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Public Property Damages and Loss Act for allegedly damaging properties in the Office of the Joint Registrar.

Since Mr. Raja is firm in his complaint, the police are likely to register case against the MLAs under the provisions of SC / ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following a probe by an an officer in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police over the issue.

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