BILASH RAI

Butwal: MJF CA member Om Prakash Yadav has assaulted a police constable on duty, Prakash Gupta, for not saluting him.

Gupta was out on assignment and was drinking tea when Yadav appeared out of nowhere, pulled him by his collar and said, "You don't recognise your father, why didn't you salute me?" "He then started kicking me," Gupta told reporters.

Gupta dodged Yadav's kicks, and when he asked who he was, learnt that he was a lawmaker. "When I asked who he was, he replied that he was my father, a CA member and started kicking me again."

"I apologised for not recognising him but he said I should have looked at the badge on his coat and started beating me again," said Gupta.

The incident took place a week ago, but Gupta only went to the press on Monday. Yadav, upon encountering opposition from villagers, admitted his mistake, shook hands with Gupta and left. But he called up SP Chhabilal Joshi and demanded action against Gupta for misbehaving with him.

Joshi responded by making inquiries with Maryadapur police-in-charge Nokha Bahadur Thapa. "I was getting ready to take action against Gupta but it turned out to be something else," Joshi said.