Vidisha, March 5 (NationPress) A Congress politician along with several associates has been charged for purportedly encroaching on a public pond designated for a private organization and for allegedly intimidating fishermen in the Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh.

Law enforcement has initiated action against former Vidisha district Congress president Ashok Yadav and his associates Om Yadav and Rajiv Yadav under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as documented in an FIR filed at the Sironj police station on Thursday.

This case arose from a formal complaint submitted by Kapil Kewat, a fisherman who also presides over the Sironj-based ‘Veerangna Phoolan Devi Samiti’.

The complaint states that the Madhya Pradesh government had granted a lease of the pond to the ‘Veerangna Phoolan Devi Samiti’ for fishing purposes.

However, Kewat accused Congress leader Ashok Yadav of encroaching upon the pond and issuing threats to him and other committee members.

“He (Ashok Yadav) attempted to obstruct the foundation-laying ceremony on Thursday,” Kewat alleged, as noted in the FIR available to IANS.

In his complaint, Kewat highlighted that the foundation-laying event was overseen by Priyank Kanoongo, a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

“On Thursday, during the bhumi-pujan ceremony, Ashok Yadav arrived at the location and attempted to create chaos. The rituals were only completed after intervention from NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo,” the FIR reported.

Priyank Kanoongo, who later accompanied Kapil Kewat to the Sironj police station, also expressed his views on the issue.

He stated that the pond was allocated to a committee of hereditary Hindu fishermen under the ‘Veerangna Phoolan Devi Samiti’.

“I personally visited the site today to inaugurate the project. The fishermen there informed me that Ashok Yadav, a notable local leader and former district Congress president, is encroaching on the pond and intimidating vulnerable fishermen from working there,” Kanoongo shared on social media.

In his post, Kanoongo further claimed that Ashok Yadav and his associates attempted to extort money from the fishermen present during the event on Thursday.

Tagging Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi and Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari, Kanoongo urged Congress leaders to refrain from exploiting the poor, Dalits, and tribal individuals. “We are already taking stringent measures,” he added.

As of this report’s publication, the Madhya Pradesh Congress has not released any official statement regarding this incident.