A young man in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa has accused Congress MLA Abhay Mishra of brutally assaulting him with sticks and having him beaten by his aides. The MLA has denied the allegations and said they were politically motivated. Abhishek Tiwari has alleged that the legislator and 10-12 of his men thrashed him at the MLA’s farmhouse after he asked for his pending wages for some work. He is currently hospitalised with severe injuries, with visible marks of trauma across his body. Denying the allegations, Semariya MLA Abhay Mishra told The Indian Express that the case is politically motivated and aimed at tarnishing his image. “I have been consistently raising corruption cases against the BJP. I returned from Singapore just yesterday and was informed that a fight had taken place in my absence,” Mishra said. “This boy is a drug addict. He had earlier fought with my staff. This time, my employee’s finger was severed in the fight. I told them not to quarrel. This was an internal staff matter that is now being twisted to frame me,” he said. The controversy intensified after MLA’s staffer Ashok Tiwari filed a counter-complaint against Abhishek, claiming the latter bit off a part of his finger during a scuffle near Dhekaha Tiraha late Thursday night. Ashok alleged that Abhishek demanded Rs 500 to buy alcohol and attacked him when he refused, eventually biting his right index finger and drawing blood. However, Abhishek said the whole episode started after he reminded Mishra of his pending wages. “He first abused me, then beat me more than 30 times with sticks, and then his men joined in and thrashed me further,” he told reporters from his hospital bed. The incident has taken a political turn with supporters of former Semariya MLA K P Tripathi staging a sit-in at the Civil Lines police station on Friday, demanding strict action against Abhay Mishra. While both parties have filed complaints, police have not yet registered charges against the MLA. “An investigation is underway,” said a police officer.
