Madhya Pradesh man seeks action against collector for sending him to jail

Narsinghpur: A 61-year-old man has sought action against the collector of Madhya Pradesh's Narsinghpur district for sending him to jail for allegedly "being drunk and creating ruckus" at a public function. 

P K Purohit, a resident of Khurpa village here, was attending the "jan sunwai" programme of Narsinghpur Collector Abhay Verma on August 21 when he was arrested. 

Purohit claimed today that he was at the function to apprise district authorities of the delay in building a proper approach road to his village. 

"The collector told me that Public Works Department (PWD) officials would sort out this complaint. 

But I pointed out to him that PWD officials were not even present at the public hearing," Purohit told reporters on Sunday. 

"As I was speaking, the collector told me that I talk a lot of nonsense and that he would send me to jail," Purohit alleged, adding that police then took him away and produced him before the sub divisional magistrate's court. 

Amit Dangi, in charge of Kotwali police station, said, "We had received a complaint from the collector's office. 

So, the police presented Purohit in the SDM court under section 151 (arrest to prevent the commission of cognisable offences) of the CrPC.

The SDM court sent him to jail." "I was in jail since then and was released on Saturday," Purohit said on Sunday. 

Speaking on the issue, collector Abhay Verma, however, said that the man was drunk and was creating ruckus during the public hearing. 

Purohit on Sunday approached the district Superintendent of Police and demanded that a case be filed against Verma. 

He asked police to scour the CCTV footage of the jan sunwai programme to ascertain the truth. "I want justice. 

Despite apologising and telling them that I am an old man, I was sent to jail due to the anger of the collector," he claimed. 

Superintendent of Police D S Bhadoriya confirmed that Purohit's application had been received and added that further action would be taken based on a probe into the incident.