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Himachal Pradesh Minister Anirudh Singh blamed the NHAI officials of misbehaving with the local people at the site.
Himachal Pradesh minister Anirudh Singh. (File)
Himachal Pradesh Minister Anirudh Singh on Wednesday refuted the allegations of physically assaulting a senior National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official as “baseless” and alleged that he is being trapped in a conspiracy by the NHAI officials to avoid accountability after a five-storey residential building collapsed in Shimla on Monday.
While addressing a press briefing, the state’s Panchayati Raj Minister said that the FIR, lodged against him is baseless and all the allegations are unfounded. He claimed that the complainant official was not even admitted to the hospital.
He further blamed the NHAI officials of misbehaving with the local people at the site.
“There were around 150 people present. The locals have also registered an FIR against the NHAI officials for their abusive behaviour. The FIR registered against me is baseless. There is no truth in it. I deny all allegations. They knew that the incident of the building collapse would become a big issue, so they did all of this to cover it up. You should take a record of the duration for which the official was at the hospital…You can take statements from the locals present there. We should wait for the inquiry. We are ready to face the outcomes of the inquiry,” he said as quoted by news agency ANI.
#WATCH | Shimla: On a senior NHAI official physically assaulted allegedly by him, Himachal Pradesh Minister Anirudh Singh, says, “There were around 150 people present. The locals have also registered an FIR against the NHAI officials for their abusive behaviour. The FIR… pic.twitter.com/Ioi2kBAqko— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2025
The minister further claimed that the functioning of NHAI in Himachal is under question, how much damage has been caused by their project, how many people have lost their lives. He further alleged that a nexus of contractors, NHAI and the Centre is at work. “NHAI officials do not listen to anyone,” he alleged.
“NHAI officials are the most corrupt in the country,” he alleged.
NHAI Official’s Complaint
The minister’s response came a day after NHAI manager (technical) in Shimla, Acha Jindal, accused the minister of allegedly assaulting him during a site inspection on Monday. The NHAI officer has been admitted to Indira Gandhi Medical College & Hospital (IGMC) in Shimla.
In his complaint, Jindal accused the minister of physically assaulting him on June 30 in the Mathu Colony area of the city. Jindal claimed an altercation snowballed into violence which further resulted in physical injuries.
Jindal, in his complaint, said he, along with a site engineer, went to attend a meeting called by Shimla SDM to review the collapse of a multi-storey building at Chamyana. But since the SDM was not present there, he proceeded to Bhatakuffar, where four-laning work was underway.
An FIR was registered at Dhalli Police Station, with Station House Officer (SHO) Virochan Negi confirming the complaint.
The NHAI officer said he got to know that the minister was also present there with some locals. On the previous night, he said, Singh had inquired about the collapse of the building near a construction site at Chamyana.
Jindal added that the contractor had apprised him that the residents of the said building were evacuated before it collapsed. He added that he had informed the minister that the building was out of NHAI’s jurisdiction.
The NHAI official said as per the agreement, the state govt was responsible for providing compensation in case of any damage and that he had shared all required details with the minister.
“But Singh started using abusive language. I and my site engineer were taken to a room of a local where the minister assaulted us. He hurled a pitcher full of water on me. As a result, I suffered injuries and started bleeding. When the site engineer tried to save me, he was also attacked. The SDM and others did not help us,” TOI quoted Jindal as saying.
NHAI, Gadkari Condemn Assault
In the wake of the incident, NHAI Engineers Association (NEA) has demanded action against the accused, including minister.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday also condemned the “heinous assault” on the official.
“The heinous assault on Shri Achal Jindal, Manager, NHAI PIU Shimla, allegedly by the Minister of Panchayati Raj, Himachal Pradesh, and his associates, is deeply reprehensible and an affront to the rule of law. Such a brutal attack on a public servant performing his official duties not only endangers individual safety but also erodes institutional integrity,” Gadkari said in a post on X.
He further took “serious cognisance” of the matter and said that he had spoken with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, “urging immediate and exemplary action against all perpetrators.”
(With inputs from agencies)
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben…Read More
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben… Read More
- Location :
Shimla, India, India
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