Congress activist accuses IAS officer of assault

LUCKNOW - A Congress activist has accused an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of manhandling him in Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad district, a charge that has been denied.

Krishna Kant Mishra, the member of the Allahabad Disrict Congress Committee, alleged that he went to meet Chief Development Officer (CDO) Yashod Bhaskar in his office Friday afternoon to register complaints related to welfare schemes in Urwa block, but was beaten by the officer.

“Initially, I asked the peon to inform the CDO that I wished to meet him. When the peon refused, I somehow managed to enter the official cabin.

“Thereafter, the CDO closed the door from inside on the pretext of holding a private meeting with me. After closing the door, he started slapping and kicking me repeatedly, following which blood started coming out of my mouth and nose,” Mishra told reporters in Allahabad, about 200 km from Lucknow.

“After beating me for over half-an-hour, the CDO called the police and got me arrested on false charges of misbehaving with him,” said Mishra, who was later released by the police on a personal bond.

When contacted, Bhaskar told IANS: “It’s baseless…I have not beaten anyone…In fact, he (Mishra) forced his way into my office and started abusing me. I decided to call up the police and made him sit inside my office. During the process, he tried to free himself and probably got injured by his own hands.”