Meerut (UP), Dec 31 (PTI) Members of the BJP and opposition parties came to blows during a Meerut Municipal Corporation Board meeting, with both sides accusing each other of insulting and attacking their councillors.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Meerut Rohit Singh Sajwan on Sunday said, "Complaints of both sides have been received. CCTV footage from inside the Municipal Corporation House (of the Saturday incident) has been called for and action will be taken after investigation."

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No case has been registered so far.

A political row has erupted with the SP alleging that Dalit councillors were targeted by the BJP members, who denied the charge.

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Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav while sharing the video of the ruckus on the social media platform 'X', wrote on Saturday, "During the Municipal Corporation Board meeting in Meerut, ministers and MLCs of the BJP government of Uttar Pradesh carried out deadly attacks on Dalit corporators of the opposition in the presence of the police.

"The BJP is going to get its answer in the upcoming elections for the humiliating treatment that the Dalits are being subjected to due to the arrogance of being in power. The BJP has turned violent due to frustration over the upcoming defeat."

The trouble started on Saturday during the board meeting of the Meerut Municipal Corporation over the issue of house tax.

BJP members alleged that councillors of opposition parties pushed and assaulted BJP MLC Dharmendra Bhardwaj when he objected to the use of abusive words against his women colleagues.

"I had reached the meeting half an hour late, I was sitting on the chair, when I heard abuses being hurled from behind. Four of our women corporators were standing, I spoke out for the respect of women, after which I was also heckled.

"These people have done all this as part of a well-planned conspiracy. We cannot tolerate the insult of the women," Bhardwaj said.

The opposition councillors alleged that Bahujan Samaj Party councillor Ashish Chaudhary was attacked and Samajwadi Party councillor Kuldeep alias Kirti Ghopla was chased and beaten by BJP members.

Ghopla and Ashish Chaudhary have filed a complaint against BJP MLC Bhardwaj, Minister of State for Energy Somendra Tomar and others, accusing them of assault and using casteist words.

BJP corporator Pawan Chaudhary, who also belongs to the Scheduled Caste, has also filed a complaint against the opposition councillors.

UP minister Somendra Tomar said, "I had reached the spot after the incident. I even intervened. Such actions cannot be tolerated."

BJP Meerut Mahanagar unit president Suresh Jain Rituraj alleged that women members were insulted by the opposition councillors.

'The opposition is desperate, so they want to spoil the atmosphere. Minister Somendra Tomar had arrived later, why are allegations being levelled only against the MLC and the minister? All this has been done as part of a well-thought-out strategy."

UP Congress president Ajay Rai, who reached Meerut on Saturday night, alleged that it was an insult to Dalits.

"Congress will not tolerate the insult of Dalits. The fight for the respect of Dalits will be fought with full force," he said and demanded the expulsion of the BJP members involved in the incident.

Rai also visited the houses of two corporators who were allegedly beaten up.

Municipal Commissioner Amit Pal Sharma said that "the proceedings of the House had been completed" when the incident happened. "The police are investigating who caused the scuffle and why. CCTV cameras are also installed in the House. The truth will come out," he said.

(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)