Political storm after attack on NHAI officials, Oppn lambasts Sukhu govt

Attack on National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials in Himachal by the panchayati raj minister Anirudh Rana on Tuesday has brewed a political storm in the state with the Opposition leaders targeting the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government.

- Shailee Dogra

SHIMLA:

Himachal Pradesh panchayati raj minister Anirudh Singh Rana on Tuesday had assaulted a NHAI official, Achal Jindal, during a site inspection where a five-storeyed residential building had collapsed. When another official, engineer Yogesh, tried to intervene, he too was beaten up.

The NHAI officer is undergoing treatment at IGMC, Shimla.

Reacting strongly over the assault, Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday condemned the "heinous assault". Calling the incident "deeply reprehensible," Gadkari wrote on X: "The heinous assault on 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. Such a brutal attack on a public servant performing his official duties not only endangers individual safety but also erodes institutional integrity."

"I have taken serious cognizance of the matter and spoken with the chief minister, urging immediate and exemplary action against all perpetrators. Accountability must prevail, and justice must be delivered without delay," Gadkari wrote.

NHAI is presently executing 17 National Highway projects worth ₹23,729 crore in Himachal.