Dibrugarh, Nov. 29: Police today registered a case against Tinsukia Congress MLA Rajendra Prasad Singh on charges of manhandling an executive member of the Tinsukia district committee of the All Assam Bengali Youth Students’ Federation in front of the party’s district office on College road.

The officer-in-charge of Tinsukia Sadar police station, Padmadhar Chetia, said a case (no. 740/2010) has been registered under Sections 341/325/294/385/506 IPC based on an FIR filed by the 35-year old victim, Ratan Dey, a small-time businessman from Tinsukia town.

Dey had earlier alleged that he was brutally assaulted by the MLA while he was going to the Congress office to meet Prabin Hazarika, chairman of Assam PCC’s Scheduled Tribe cell, who was in Tinsukia today.

Speaking to reporters at Tinsukia civil hospital, where he was taken for administering first aid, Dey said Singh attacked him all of a sudden and without provocation.

“I was about to park my two-wheeler in front of the Congress office when the MLA arrived in his car along with his security guards and without questioning or saying anything, he started beating me up,” Dey said.

Dey also alleged that the MLA used several slang words against the Bengali community for allegedly not voting for him and the Congress party in the past elections.

However, the MLA denied the charges, saying, “The matter has been blown out of proportion. Of course, there was some tussle, but I did not manhandle anybody. The charges against me are totally false and aimed at maligning my image ahead of the Assembly elections next year.”

Singh also said Ratan Dey was an expelled Congress member and he had come to the party office today with an intention to create trouble. “When he failed to enter the party office, he conspired to malign my image,” the MLA said.

The police had conducted a physical test on Dey after he filed the FIR. “We cannot say now whether the MLA will be arrested or not. The matter is under investigation,” Chetia said.

The Tinsukia district committee of the Bengali students’ federation said a memorandum would be submitted to the Tinsukia district administration demanding the MLA’s arrest and punishment.

“The MLA has unleashed a reign of terror in Tinsukia town since quite some time now. We will launch an aggressive agitation if the police does not arrest the notorious MLA,” Mrinmoy Das, the president of the Tinsukia district committee of the federation, said.

Many other student organisations like All Assam Students’ Union, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad and All Assam Moran Students’ Union condemned the dastardly act of the MLA and demanded strong action against him.