4 arrested for physical assault on employees of Food Supplies deptt in B’la

Baramulla, Oct 25: Baramulla Police on Tuesday said that it arrested four persons found involved in a physical assault on employees of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs including the Assistant Director in Baramulla.
A police official told Rising Kashmir that a group of people assaulted Sheikh Tariq, Assistant Director of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Baramulla and other employees during the working hours.
Police said that the assault was carried out by the accused following a verbal brawl in the office of the food department at Baramulla.
“The incident took place when a delegation from Chinnad village of Baramulla was pleading for the ration to be supplied through a sale centre instead of a fair price shop at Chinnad village which is against the norms,” an official from Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs told Rising Kashmir.
He said that the delegation had come to the office of AD Food Baramulla, where they resorted to verbal abuse with the employees and assaulted the employees.
“There are court directions with regard to the matter and the delegation was told about the same in detail. But they were adamant to go against the court’s direction. We tried to pacify them but they turned violent and started abusing and manhandling my employees and even assaulted me in my office,” Sheikh Tariq AD Food told Rising Kashmir.
He said that they tore the clothes of an employee and resorted to physical assault.
Soon after the incident the police came to the spot and arrested four people while the rest of the accused managed to flee from the site.
Following the incident, the union of the food department officials led by district vice president fair price shops of Baramulla staged a protest demonstration against the accused and demanded immediate action against the culprits as warranted under law.
The aggrieved protestors further claimed that a self-styled facebook journalist from Chenad, Baramulla, had incited the violent attack.
In order to further his nefarious goals, the demonstrators said that the so-called journalist incites violent occurrences and stirs up the populace against department personnel in various parts of the Baramulla district.
Additionally, they appealed Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, SSP Baramulla and Director food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs to take action against the self-styled scribe and others involved in the heinous act.
In order to force the prosecution of the alleged attackers to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, the demonstrators declared a “pen down strike” till further notice.
“There would be no distribution of ration at fair price shops and other sale centres in Baramulla till the police take a strict action against the culprits,” the protesters announced.
A police official said that an FIR was registered in the matter and four accused have been arrested while a search for others is going on.
“We have already started investigations into the complaint and violators will be punished according to the law ,”he added.
Meanwhile Sarpanch of the Chinnad village Abdul Rashid told Rising Kashmir that this group of people having some nefarious motives keep on harassing the officials while as rest of the village people don’t have any issues with the administration.
“We have enough ration in our store. I don’t know why they came to AD office and assaulted the employees there,” he added.