CHANDIGARH: Tik Tok star Sonali Phogat who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader landed herself in yet another controversy as she was seen beating up an official with her slippers on Friday. The video went viral putting the BJP government in Haryana in an embarrassing situation.
Phogat thrashed and abused Sultan Singh, the market committee secretary, during a visit to the Balsamand Mandi in Hisar on Friday. She had a heated exchange of words with Singh after farmers allegedly complained that there were problems in the procurement process. "Am I working to hear abuses from people like you? Do I not have the right to a dignified life,’’ says Phogat in the video in which she is seen hitting Singh. Afterwards he was seen pleading with her, saying he had noted her complaints and would resolve the issues.
Singh later filed a complaint with the police in which he stated that Phogat visited his office in Hisar and asked him to be present at the Balsamand Mandi. When she reached the mandi, she spoke to him for about fifteen minutes during which she asked when the procurement for gram will start and was told that due to lack of arrangements at the mandi, it has not started yet. Then she abused him and accused him of not helping her in the assembly elections from Adampur before starting to thrash him, he said.
Phogat said she thrashed Singh after he used indecent and derogatory remarks directed at her, adding that he later apologised. "Along with a few farmers, I visited Balsamand mandi to inspect the arrangements for gram procurement. Singh told me that I should not roam around with farmers in the mandi as I am a charming lady. On hearing this, I got angry so I thrashed him. He then apologised. But I have filed a complaint against him,” Phogat said.
A police officer said they have received complaints from both Phogat against Singh and Singh against Phogat. "We are verifying the facts and then action will be taken as per law," he said.
Demanding that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar take action against Phogat, Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "These acts (have been) done by a BJP leader. Is it a crime to do a government job? Will (chief minister Manohar Lal) Khattar take action against Phogat?’’
Phogat had contested the assembly elections from Adampur last year and lost to Kuldeep Bishnoi of the Congress. Not new to controversies, she had last year filed a police complaint against her sister and brother-in-law alleging that they assaulted and threatened her.