TV
An altercation between tehsil office employees and local lawyers over alleged misbehaviour was reported from Bolangir town on Thursday. Both the groups have lodged separate complaints against each other at the Town Police Station in this connection.
According to sources, at around 1.00 PM, two lawyers reportedly engaged in improper behaviour with tehsil office clerks, allegedly using inappropriate language. In response, the tehsil staff submitted a formal complaint to the Town Police Station and further addressed their grievances to the District Collector, underscoring the gravity of the incident.
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The dispute seemingly began when a lawyer's request for a certified copy of a document was turned down, leading to a heated argument with the head clerk, which subsequently escalated. Meanwhile, the faction of lawyers has lodged counter-allegations against the tehsil employees, claiming similar misconduct on their part.
“All of a sudden a lawyer came along with Dolamani Pradhan and entered the section officer (SO)’s chamber. We around six persons were sitting in the office room at that time. The two enquired about a certified copy that the lawyer had previously applied for. It is not possible to remember the details of all applications in a tehsil office. When I asked him which certified copy, the advocate shouted at me using inappropriate language,” Bolangir tehsil office head clerk Reena Panigrahi alleged.
“Then, he (the lawyer) said ‘Panda Madam is now on leave and to whom did you give the certified copy’. I replied, I have already sent it to the section concerned. You go and enquire there. Irked with this, the lawyer became angry,” the female head clerk stated.
“We have lodged FIR against the two accused persons,” the female head clerk added.
When contacted, advocate Dolamani Pradhan stated, “Head clerk Madam (Reena Panigrahi) is telling lies. I had gone to her office along with Pravas Dada (the 1st lawyer) to enquire about a certified copy applied by him. As the section concerned was unable to give us any concrete information, so we asked the head clerk and she got incensed.”
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“She started reacting saying ‘Go and complain against me to whoever you want, I will see what harm you lawyers will do to me’. Even to the extent, she threw her chappal at us in anger,” advocate Pradhan said to OTV.
“She used to ask for bribes to do any work for the public. She also said ‘How much money you have given me that you are asking me about so many things’,” advocate Pradhan further said allegedly quoting the female head clerk.
