Vadodara-Bharuch Highway Row: RTI Activist Accused of Slapping Engineer, Extortion Threat
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A highway engineer has accused an RTI activist of assault, abuse and extortion threats during a dispute over construction work on the Vadodara-Bharuch highway near Luwara village.
Dispute Over Vadodara-Bharuch Highway Work
The complainant, 35-year-old Soheb Ahmed Abdul Kalam, originally from Bihar and currently residing in Surat’s Mangrol taluka, works as an engineer with a private infrastructure company.
The company has undertaken road, bridge and infrastructure projects in Bharuch district under the Gujarat government's Road and Buildings Department. Kalam is supervising construction of a bridge and service road near Luwara village on the Vadodara-Bharuch National Highway 48.
According to the complaint, Ketan Dhirajbhai Sorathia, who allegedly identified himself as a social worker and RTI activist, arrived at the highway project site on August 9.
Sorathia allegedly questioned the quality of the construction work and claimed that bridge maintenance was not being carried out properly. He allegedly abused Kalam and threatened to have the company’s work stopped.
Engineer Alleges Extortion Threat
Kalam reportedly asked Sorathia to discuss the matter with the company’s general manager, Gaurangbhai. The complaint alleges that Sorathia then abused the general manager as well.
According to the complaint, Sorathia allegedly demanded that the company’s management meet him and threatened to file RTI applications and take action against the company if regular payments were not made as demanded.
The complaint further alleges that Sorathia became aggressive, slapped Kalam and threatened to confront the company’s management.
Case Registered
Kalam approached Navipur police station and lodged a complaint over the alleged assault, abuse and threats.
Police have registered a case under sections including extortion and are taking legal action. Investigators are examining the allegations and the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The allegations in the complaint have not been independently established. Further action will depend on the police investigation.
