Kangan, July 5: Police in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district have registered a case against a casual labour working in the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) after a senior journalist accused him of assault when the latter filed a story about ‘malpractices’ at Weigh Bridge Sonmarg where the accused is posted from last 16 years.
Senior Journalist, Ghulam Nabi Raina lodged a complaint at police station Gund Kangan alleging that one Mehrajuddin Baba son of Ghulam Ahmed Baba, a resident of Mamar Kangan manhandled him at a shop in Gagangeer and threatened him of dire consequences in case he report about the ‘Weigh Bridge’ Sonmarg.
The Complainant in his complaint has alleged that he filed a story urging the government to check ‘malpractices’ at the ‘Weigh Bridge’ Sonmarg. The accused who is posted at the same location after the story assaulted him.
The said employee has been posted at the Weight Bridge for the past 16 years and till date never transferred from the place of his posting. Several allegations have been leveled against him for his alleged involvement in corruption. Even the then ARTO Ganderbal in 2018 had written to the then Transport Commissioner that the said employee is the source of nuisance and his actions are draining the state exchequer. The said employee is being accused of taking bribe from the drivers of LMVs and HMVs allowing them to proceed towards their destinations without fulfilling any formalities, i:e, weighing their vehicles on the weighbridge in the truck yard of Sonmarg.
Last year after complaints and news reports about corruption at Sonmarg Weight Bridge, authorities had installed CCTV cameras near Weight Bridge, however, nothing on the ground changed.
The complainant has also alleged that the accused threatened him over the phone as well and he has saved all the call recordings.
Taking cognizance of the complaint, police station Gund registered an FIR vide number 56/2022 under section 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint) 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) against the accused.
(KNT)
