‘Will hand a toy to every minister’: Congress to escalate protest if FIR against Haryana MLA Devender Hans is not withdrawn

The ‘jhunjhuna’ controversy erupted on January 19, when Hans, accompanied by his supporters, confronted SDM Pramesh Singh, a Haryana Civil Services officer, in front of his office in connection with the alleged unauthorised expansion of shops located in the Block and Development Panchayat Officer (BDPO) office complex at Guhla-Cheeka.

After the officer “ignored him”, Hans remarked, “Take this toy and keep playing with it.” The SDM refused, replying, “You can keep it yourself.” An infuriated Hans threw the toy aside and left the premises amid slogans by his supporters.

DSP Guhla Kuldeep Singh stated that an FIR was registered against the MLA on February 5 after obtaining permission from the local court, since the matter involved a non‑cognizable offence. “Now we will include the other party in the investigation as well, and action will be taken strictly based on evidence,” the senior police officer said.

Deepender said, “What kind of democracy is this, where those who raise the voice of the people and speak against corruption are themselves booked in cases?”

In his complaint to the police, the SDM said the MLA had tried to intimidate him and levelled abuses against him to tarnish his reputation. The SDM alleged that the MLA also “tried to pressurize me with a view to influencing the outcome of the inquiry being conducted by me in the matter of the construction of shops at BDPO premises at Guhla.”

On his part, the legislator said, “I stood outside his office for half an hour. He refused to come out until I insisted. When he finally did, he avoided my questions. That is when I told him, ‘You have no authority here, take this toy and keep playing with it.’”

As the news of the FIR against the legislator became public, the Congress slammed the government and local administration for registering a case against a public representative.

Deepender Hooda said, “If the SDM has rights, then the elected representative from Guhla Cheeka also has the right to speak. If the government continues such actions, we are ready to fight at every level. We will not tolerate the murder of democracy.”

‘Administration must focus on genuine issues’

Haryana Congress president Rao Narender Singh said that it was unfortunate that the administration was entangled in such small, politically motivated matters instead of focusing on major issues like farmers’ problems, unemployment, law and order, and development.”

He said that “if elected representatives raise public concerns or demand accountability from officials, treating it as a crime goes against the spirit of democracy”.

The administration, he added, should concentrate on genuine and serious issues rather than wasting energy and resources on such cases”.

“We stand firmly with Devender Hans and all those supporting him. In a democracy, there should be accountability, not fear,” he declared.

FIR against local journalist

Meanwhile, a delegation of journalists met Haryana Energy Minister Anil Vij to inform him that the police had also lodged an FIR against a local journalist who had gone to the spot solely to perform his professional duties.

Regarding the inclusion of the journalist’s name in the FIR, DSP Kuldeep Singh said, “We will probe that angle as well. If he was present at the site in his capacity as a journalist, there was no fault on his part, as he has every right to do so under the Constitution.”