Complaint against Ravi Shankar Prasad for robbery and assault on party worker

A complaint was filed against Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and several others in a Patna court on Thursday by a man, claiming to be a BJP supporter, who alleged he was assaulted and robbed of his belongings at their instance last month. The complainant--Sanjeev Verma-- has named Prasad, BJP MLAs Arun Kumar Sinha and Nitin Nabin, the law minister's personal assistant Sanjeev Kumar Singh and five others, besides 10 unnamed people as accused in his petition seeking registration of case under various sections of the IPC pertaining to rioting, voluntarily causing hurt, theft and robbery.

Chief Judicial Magistrate of Patna Kumar Gunjan scheduled the matter for hearing on April 22, and directed the complainant to be present in person that day. BJP sources could not confirm Verma's association with the party.

Prasad was not immediately available for comments. Verma has claimed that he was at the airport on March 23 when Prasad arrived in the city for the first time after being declared the party's candidate for Patna Sahib seat.

He said a number of "disgruntled" BJP supporters were present at the spot who were angry over the Union minister being fielded from the seat ignoring the claims of some other aspirants. The complainant claimed he was there with some friends, all of them "dedicated party workers" in no way associated with the agitators who were shouting slogans like 'Ravi Shankar Prasad go back' and waved black flags.

The petition alleged that "the supporters of Mr Prasad turned violent" and Verma and his associates "started running (away) from the place to protect themselves" but the minister and the two MLAs "instigated supporters to chase and assault" them. Verma alleged that Prasad's supporters caught hold of him, punched him repeatedly, hurled abuses and demanded to know how he dared to oppose the candidature of the minister.

He alleged the assailants snatched away Rs 3,500 which he had kept in his shirt pocket and tried to rob him of the wrist watch and a gold chain, but was saved by police which arrived on the scene. However, he claimed, the police later refused to register his written complaint. When he went to the party office, he was assured by office-bearers that suitable action would be taken, but that did not happen, the petitioner claimed.

The Union minister is pitted against actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha in Patna Sahib. Sinha, who twice won the seat as a BJP nominee, is in the fray as the Congress candidate this time.