Congress MLA carried revolver near polling booth: MP home minister

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh home minister Babulal Gaur gave his statement on Katni urban civic poll violence which badly injured Congress MLA from Bahoriband seat Saurabh Singh. According to the home minister police received information at 5:20 pm on December 2 that a violent clash had broken out between Saurabh Singh and Manish Pathak of the BJP. Their supporters also clashed.A strong police force including SP and addl SP rushed to the spot. They were also joined by the additional district magistrate.
An injured Saurabh Singh was rushed to the hospital in a police vehicle. When the police asked the victim MLA for his statement, he refused. Saurabh Singh said that he would register the FIR only after consulting with his attorney. Singh's written state reached at 10:42 pm which claimed that he reached the CLP School polling station at 4:55 pm after receiving information that Manish Pathak and his supporters were engaged in fake voting activity. At 5:10 pm, an altercation started between Singh and Pathak after which the BJP men started beating him-up. His licenced revolver and gold chain was snatched and his vehicles damaged. Doctors certified he had suffered fracture in the wrist and nose.
"The medical board also said that the injuries were not life-threatening or dangerous. That is why the police did not register a case under section 307 for attempt to murder," the home minister justified. All the accused including Manish Pathak, Anuj Tiwari, Rajesh, Ashish and a Sandeep were arrested on December 6 and later released on bail.
BJP corporator Manish Pathak also recorded his statement with the police. He claimed that he was standing outside the polling station with another CL Pathak when Saurabh Singh reached the spot with armed supporters including a Sonu Solanki, Prince Parihar and others. He started an altercation and slapped Manish Pathak. Thereafter, he took out a revolver and fired a shot. Local residents came to the rescue. Gaur said that case has been registered for rioting with under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly), 294 (obscenity), 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (causing hurt) along with other sections of the IPC.
Saurabh Singh's revolver was found in a gutter near the polling booth at 6:20 pm. It has been seized for further investigation, the home minister said. Babulal Gaur also informed the House that a magisterial order dated November 23 categorically notified that no licenced arm should be carried in a public place or near a polling station.