Rewa, July 26 (IANS) Congress MLA Abhay Mishra, representing the Semaria Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district, has been booked for allegedly assaulting one of his office employees.

The incident, which took place on July 24 between 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. at the MLA’s local office, has sparked political tension and led to counter-allegations.

The complainant, Abhishek Tiwari, who was responsible for managing visitors at Mishra’s office, alleged that he was abused and physically assaulted by the MLA when he requested his pending salary.

An FIR was registered against Mishra and four of his staff members following a protest led by former BJP MLA K.P. Tripathi and his supporters at the local police station late Friday night.

In a dramatic turn, another employee, Ashok Tiwari, filed a counter FIR against Abhishek, accusing him of severing one of his fingers during a scuffle. Ashok arrived at the police station with the severed portion of his finger and a medical report, claiming that Abhishek was intoxicated and initiated the altercation over attendance records.

Additional Superintendent of Police Arti Singh confirmed that complaints have been filed by both parties and that an investigation is underway. “Relevant charges have been registered against MLA Abhay Mishra,” Singh said.

Responding to the allegations, Mishra denied involvement and accused BJP leader K.P. Tripathi of orchestrating a smear campaign.

“I was not present at the office during the incident. Tripathi pressured the police to name me in the FIR,” Mishra told reporters.

Ravi Pandey, a representative of Mishra, stated that the MLA had returned from a 15-day foreign tour in Singapore on the evening of July 24. “The fight broke out earlier in the day between Abhishek and Ashok over attendance. Abhishek, who was reportedly drunk, became agitated after seeing his name marked absent,” Pandey told IANS.

He added that the two men, who hail from the same village, engaged in a heated exchange that escalated into violence.

“During the scuffle, Abhishek allegedly severed Ashok’s finger. The MLA arrived at the office only around 8 p.m., hours after the incident,” Pandey said.

–IANS

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