Retd vet ‘assaulted’ for objecting to painting his house saffron

PRAYAGRAJ: A retired veterinary doctor hs lodged an FIR with Kotwali police, complaining that the walls of his residence were painted saffron despite his objection, on the occasion of cabinet minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi’s ‘punarjanam’ function. He also said he was assaulted when he tried to stop the painting.

It is worth mentioning that Nandi celebrates his recovery from bomb attack in 2010 as ‘punarjanam’. Meanwhile, another resident Ravi Gupta also alleged that Nandi’s relatives and his aides not only painted his residence with saffron colour despite objection but also pelted stones at his house and threatened him and his wife with dire consequences.

In his complaint, retired veterinary doctor Dr Jeevan Chand said that some painters called by cabinet minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi were painting his house with saffron colour but stopped after he raised objection. However, at least 20 youths later returned and painted the house saffron. The youths attacked him and misbehaved with his wife when he tried to stop them, he further alleged. SP City Dinesh Kumar Singh said FIR had been lodged against unidentified youths on the complaint of the doctor. Investigations were on into the other complaint, he added. The minister and his wife Mayor Abhilasha Gupta Nandi were not available for comment.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha district president Sandeep Yadav also raised objection over forcibly painting the houses in the area with saffron. On Monday, Samajwadi Party workers would paint the houses in their party’s colour, he added.

Wife of Cabinet minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi and mayor Abhilasha Gupta Nandi said she was not aware of any such objection by any residents of the locality.” “We will speak to the people if they have any objection. The locality looks beautiful after the painting of walls and many residents of the area even requested the painters to colour their walls,” Mayor said.