Union leader die in scuffle with sanitation workers in Pratapgarh

Udaipur : Tension prevailed for hours in Pratapgarh city after a union leader died reportedly after being manhandled by a team of sanitation workers of the municipal council when the victim tried to dissuade them from clicking pictures of some women who had gone to relieve themselves in the open. Tension build up when the man died in the hospital during treatment followed by women staging dharna and locals creating a jam like situation on the main market. Seeing the public rage, police has detained all the 7 persons of the SBM team who were involved in the tiff.

 “ We have taken the complaint and if the autopsy report states physical injuries to be the cause of death, a case will be chargedunder the relevant sections of the IPC” an officer said.

The incident took place in the early morning near the Kachhi Basti in the center of the city where a group of women had gone to answer nature’s call. Meanwhile,  a team of sanitation workers who were on duty to create awareness among public against open defecation under the Swachh Bharat mission program, saw these women and tried to dissuade them. There was a verbal spat between them, meanwhile,  Zafar Khan a communist party worker and union leader intervened. Khan told the team members that the women had no other option as there were no toilets in their homes and that the community toilet too was not functional due to non-maintenance.

The heated conversation turned sour with both parties getting physical, causing injury to the victim. Khan was taken to the hospital where he died in the afternoon during treatment. Residents of the kachhi basti gathered in large number and staged protest. Khan’s family members demanded an FIR to be taken against the Municipal Corporation team members and the commissioner himself who was also present at the time of the scuffle, they held. Seeing communal tension brewing up, a larger force was deployed outside the hospital as well as main streets to prevent any untoward incident.  Authorities tried to pacify the people who raised slogans and staged a dharna.

The post mortem was conducted by a medical board later afternoon. Meanwhile, community members demanded government job for Khan’s kin and an ex-gratia of one crore rupees, sources claimed.