Indore: Son of BJP leader thrashes municipal official with cricket bat

The son of senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya attacked a municipal officer in Indore with a cricket bat during an anti-encroachment drive on Wednesday.

A video, which went viral on Wednesday, showed Akash Vijayvargiya, who is incidentally the BJP MLA for the Indore-3 Assembly constituency, hitting the municipal officer. The incident occurred as a team of officials from the municipal corporation arrived in the Ganji Compound Locality of Indore to demolish a structure. The demolition drive was purportedly aimed at tearing down unsafe structures ahead of the monsoon season.

Media reports claim Akash was called to the area by local residents. In the video, Akash and his supporters can be seen attempting to attack the municipal official even as police officers try to disperse the mob. The ruckus was reportedly triggered by a argument between the officer and Akash. Supporters of the BJP MLA even climbed on an excavator being used in the demolition drive.

Hitesh Bajpai, a local BJP leader, was quoted as saying the municipal officer was assaulted by Akash because he had sought a bribe.

Akash is a first-time MLA who won in the 2018 Assembly election. BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya has been a prominent face of the party's progress in West Bengal. Kailash Vijayvargiya played a key role in the BJP's stunning performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal, with speculation emerging he may be rewarded with more responsibilities in Madhya Pradesh.

During the campaigning for the recent Lok Sabha polls, Kailash Vijayvargiya had warned that if Mamata Banerjee returned to power, there was a threat of “ISIS entering West Bengal and the state becoming like Jammu and Kashmir”.

Kailash Vijayvargiya had hit national headlines when he lashed out at movie star Aamir Khan after he claimed in 2015 that his wife was worried about rising tolerance in India.