LAHAN, July 20: Ganga Paswan, the mayor of Karjanha Municipality of Siraha, on Thursday slapped a municipal staffer over payments made for the purchase of a dozer.

After Baliram Yadav, head of the logistics department of the municipality refused to release payments for the dozer without a purchase bill, Mayor Paswan slapped him on the face, said Yadav. “He slapped me on the face after I did not bow down to his pressure to release payments for the dozer purchased just four days ago without any purchase documents. I have complained to the district coordination committee about the injustice,” said Yadav.

Chief District Officer Rudra Prasad Pandit said that he has received a complaint from Yadav over the telephone and suggested to him to appear with a written complaint on Sunday.

Earlier, Mayor Paswan had manhandled deputy mayor of the municipality, Gyanu Shrestha and ward committee member Khagendra Lokendre on minor disputes a month ago, informed Shrestha. However, the incident was not made public until Thursday's incident.

“When I tried to stop him after he resorted to manhandling ward committee member Lokendre, he held me by my neck in the public,” Shrestha told Republica. “But I didn't complain to the authorities about the incident as we have to work together for the next four years.” Both Paswan and Shrestha were elected as mayor and deputy mayor of the municipality from the Maoist Center.

However, Mayor Paswan refuted the allegations stating that it was just a rumor to defame him. “I scolded him for not doing his job but didn't manhandle him,” he claimed.

 
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