Assam minister caught in slapgate

An Assam minister is caught in a row after he allegedly slapped a police officer prompting opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) to demand his ouster  from the government.

Border area development minister Siddeque Ahmed ‘slapped’ assistant sub-inspector N Das on February 26 over an incident of road mishap.

The mishap occurred during ‘illegal collection’ of money from truck drivers by the personnel in Karimganj district. The cops had forced a truck to halt resulting in a collision with another truck coming from behind. The minister, who was then traveling on the route, ‘slapped’ the police officer holding him guilty of the mishap.

The AGP raised the matter in the assembly on Thursday when governor JB Patnaik in his address insisted on a friendly relationship between police and public.