Haryana Congress MLA Kuldeep Vats, brother among 7 booked for violence at Lord Parshuram Bhawan ceremony in Jhajjar

Congress MLA from Badli Kuldeep Vats, along with six others, including his brother and nephews, has been booked in connection with a violent incident that broke out during the foundation ceremony of the Lord Parshuram building organised by Brahman Mahasabha in Sector 9 on April 5.

The FIR has been lodged on the complaint of Sant Surheti, general secretary of the Mahasabha, who, along with his son, sustained injuries in the alleged attack that took place over an hour after Cooperation Minister Dr Arvind Sharma had left the venue after laying the foundation stone of the building.

The MLA and the complainant belong to the same Surheti village. A case under Sections 115, 126, 3(5) and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at City Police Station, Jhajjar.

In his complaint, Sant alleged that at around 12:30 pm, while he was on the dais, Dhilu of Pelpa village and Satish Bapdauda, nephew of Vats, approached and attacked him, saying he was “becoming a hurdle for Vats.”

He further alleged that Vats’s brother Ishwar, his sons and several others later joined the assault and also beat his son Kamal Kant when he tried to intervene.

Sant stated that although people present at the event rescued them, the accused later intercepted their way while they were leaving the venue.

He further alleged that MLA Vats was also present at the spot and was the “root cause” of the altercation, claiming that he had voted against Vats in the Assembly elections and was targeted for political reasons. He has demanded strict action against all the accused.

Rubbishing the allegations, Vats told ‘The Tribune’ that the FIR had been registered against him as part of a “deep-rooted conspiracy” involving influential local leaders from both ruling and opposition parties, who, he claimed, were unsettled by his growing popularity.

Notably, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had attended the wedding ceremony of Vats’ nephews a few days before the Rajya Sabha elections held last month.

“Those my family members have also been named in the FIR despite not being present at the spot. Media persons were present at the event, and several people were recording videos, which serve as evidence that I did not utter a single word against anyone. Moreover, the complainant and his supporters insulted me during the programme by making derogatory remarks, but I chose not to respond as it was a community function,” Vats added.

The MLA further maintained that he would not only challenge the FIR but also file a defamation suit against those who attempted to tarnish his image by implicating him in the incident as part of a political conspiracy.