Gram panchayat member’s husband assaults officials

A gram panchayat member’s husband has been accused of assaulting two government officials for not mentioning his wife’s name ahead of the other dignitaries during the inauguration of a library and a gymnasium. The man objected to the mention of his wife at the bottom of the inaugural board.

Santosh Kumar T A (34), a computer operator with the Shantipura gram panchayat near Parappana Agrahara, filed a complaint with the Parappana Agrahara police against Pratap alias Govind, husband of panchayat member Smitha Govind. Kumar said he was one of the persons Govind assaulted during the row.

The panchayat members and the president gave a list of names to be printed on the board during the inauguration of the new building that houses the library and the gymnasium at Rayasandra village. Smitha’s name was at the bottom of the board. On visiting the panchayat office on June 1, Govind found his wife’s name at the bottom of the board and insisted that her name should be brought on top immediately.

As Kumar explained that the names were printed in the order given by the panchayat officials, Govind abused him and said the officials gave priority to members who pressured or threatened them, while his wife’s name came at the bottom because she was quiet.

Kumar’s colleague Bhaskar M intervened and tried to convince Govind that the list was indeed prepared by the president and the senior officials and he should approach them. But an enraged Govind struck Kumar and Bhaskar, besides showering them with abuses. The police said they have taken up a case of criminal intimidation, assault, and obstructing government servants from discharging their duty. They said Govind will be summoned for interrogation.