BHOPAL: A Congress MLA’s son has been booked for allegedly attempting to run over on-duty police personnel with his speeding SUV in Alirajpur district of western Madhya Pradesh.
The FIR was registered on July 13 under Section 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (attempt to murder) and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984, against Pushpraj Singh Patel – the son of first-time Congress MLA Sena Mahesh Patel.
The Alirajpur district police superintendent Rajesh Vyas said that the FIR has been registered based on the complaint by a constable who sustained injuries in the July 12–13 intervening night incident.
However, the accused Pushpraj Singh Patel’s father, Mahesh Patel (former Alirajpur district Congress chief), claimed the incident was a mishap and alleged that the police had framed it as an attempt to murder case under political pressure.
“It was a mishap and not an intentional crime as alleged in the complaint. My son lost control of the vehicle while taking a turn. The constable sustained minor injuries only, and the Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP), who too was present at the spot, subsequently took the injured constable to the hospital from where the constable was discharged after primary treatment,” he said.
“My son is being targeted in a false case of attempted murder under political pressure. We’ll soon petition the MP High Court and get the FIR quashed,” he added.
The incident happened near the Gol Stambh at the main bus stand of Alirajpur town at around 1:30 am on July 13.
In his complaint, constable Rakesh Gujariya, who was reportedly injured in the incident, alleged that Pushpraj alias Bhaiyu, while driving the speeding black SUV, deliberately tried to run over the patrolling duty cops, including himself and fellow constable Rakesh Anare.
“He (Pushpraj) holds a grudge against the police for having been booked in the past also in a criminal case. Seeing the SUV driven by Pushpraj speeding towards us, both me and my colleague constable tried to stop his vehicle by timely signalling him with our hands. But he didn’t stop the vehicle, as he intended to kill us.
“The hit by the speeding SUV threw me to a distance, causing injuries in the waist, leg and face,” the constable Rakesh Gujariya alleged in the complaint registered around 12 hours after the incident.
According to Alirajpur district police superintendent, following the constable’s complaint, a case has been registered and multiple teams have been formed to arrest the accused, who is currently on the run.
Pushpraj's mother, Sena Mahesh Patel, is the first-time Congress MLA from Jobat seat of tribal-dominated Alirajpur district, which is the home district of Madhya Pradesh minister Nagarsingh Chouhan.
CCTV footage from the night of the incident shows the two constables on duty near the Gol Stambh, with the official vehicle (a Bolero) of the Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) parked nearby around 1:30 am.
A speeding black SUV is seen approaching and ramming into the Gol Stambh, severely damaging an electric pole, just as the two constables narrowly manage to move out of its path. One of the constables, possibly the complainant Rakesh Gujariya, appears to have been slightly hit by the SUV.
In the past, Pushpraj was also booked for abetting the suicide of a young girl who was allegedly a close friend of his.