The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has suffered an embarrassment in Uttarakhand after state party spokesman Vishwas Dabut allegedly beat up a policeman and tore his uniform in Dehradun, following a road rage.
The incident took place on Monday night after Dabut's son Archit, driving a car hit a policeman and tried to speed away from the Chakrata Road police-post, where police were towing away parked vehicles from unauthorised areas.
On being caught and questioned by police, Archit rang up his father. Dabut, in a fit of rage, allegedly beat up a policeman and tore his uniform in full view of the public. He also used abusive language against Shahajahan Ansari, a woman police officer.
Though police did not arrest Dabut, a case was filed under 353 and 504 of IPC for threatening policemen on duty.
"We have lodged a case against Dabut. There is pressure from higher-ups to not arresting him," a top police official said.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress demanded immediate arrest of Dabur, saying the incident manifested the "collapse of law and order machinery in the state. Party spokesman Surendra Kumar threatened to hold state-wide agitations if the BJP leader was not arrested soon.
Meanwhile, pressure was mounting within BJP to initiate disciplinary action against Dabut and remove him from the post. Chief Minister B C Khanduri has consulted state party President Bachi Singh Rawat in this regard, party sources said.
When contacted, Dabur said, he was being "trapped in a well-planned conspiracy" and that he was "innocent".