A major security lapse at the MLAs' Rest House in Madhya Pradesh's capital, Bhopal, has been alleged by opposition Congress legislator Dinesh Jain Boss.
A controversy has erupted over security and room management at the MLA Rest House in Bhopal after the first-time Congress legislator from Ujjain district’s Mahidpur seat allegedly discovered an unidentified man and a woman inside a room officially allotted to him.
The incident has triggered questions about how outsiders were able to access government accommodation assigned to an elected representative without his knowledge or approval.
On November 2, the first-time Congress MLA from Ujjain district’s Mahidpur seat, Dinesh Jain Boss, returned from Delhi to Bhopal for Vidhan Sabha-related work and arrived at the MLAs' Rest House in a high-security area of Bhopal.
He has been allotted two rooms, Room Nos. 14 and 15, besides an additional Room No. 94 in Block III of the Rest House.
“When I asked for the keys at the counter (reception), I was given the keys to Room No. 14 as the keys to Room No. 15 were not available at the counter. When I climbed to Room No. 14, I saw a young man and a woman in a compromising position in Room No. 15, whose keys were unavailable at the counter,” the Congress MLA alleged in a complaint addressed to the Principal Secretary of the Vidhan Sabha.
The two individuals (who, according to some news reports, could be police personnel) reportedly panicked after noticing the MLA and immediately left the premises.
“When my personal assistant raised the issue with the caretaker of the Rest House, Ganesh Suryavanshi, he said he didn’t know who had given the keys to Room No. 15 to the man and woman present in the room,” he added in the complaint.
The incident has brought the administration of the MLA Rest House under scrutiny, particularly its security arrangements and the responsibility of employees entrusted with managing accommodation for elected representatives.
Following the legislator's complaint, the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Secretariat has reportedly forwarded the matter to the Public Works Department (PWD) for investigation. The PWD is entrusted with maintaining the concerned Rest House.
The investigation is expected to focus on the circumstances surrounding the access granted to the couple, the management of room keys and the possible involvement or negligence of employees responsible for overseeing the accommodation.
It will also need to establish whether the individuals entered the room with the assistance of any staff member or managed to gain access through some other arrangement.
The episode has raised broader concerns about the monitoring of government guest houses and the safeguards in place to prevent the unauthorised use of officially allotted rooms.
Accommodation at the MLA Rest House is intended to serve legislators visiting Bhopal for official and other Assembly-related work.