Pilibhit (UP), Jul 18 (PTI) Employees of the Agriculture Department here held a strike on Friday to protest the slapping of a district agriculture officer (DAO) allegedly by a local BJP leader and his driver during a District Panchayat Board meeting.

DAO Narendra Pal Yadav filed a complaint stating that a BJP leader Nitin Pathak and his driver Anmol assaulted him during a discussion on Thursday on the urea shortage.

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Circle Officer (City) Deepak Chaturvedi said, "Police have registered an FIR against Pathak and Anmol for assault, abuse and threats. Investigations into the incident are underway."

Following the incident, Agricultural Department employees launched a strike on Friday and chanted slogans against hooliganism. They demanded immediate arrests of Pathak and Anmol. They submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate (DM), warning of continued protests until action is taken.

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In a video statement, DAO Yadav alleged the assault was a "pre-planned conspiracy" and that he was targeted due to his caste. He claimed "goons" were present in the meeting.

However, Pathak has refuted the allegations, stating that a censure motion was passed against Yadav for "absurd statements" and misconduct with a female member during the meeting. He also accused Yadav of fertiliser embezzlement.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)