Bhagalpur: Bhagalpur divisional commissioner Rajesh Kumar on Saturday instructed officials to try and end the Bhagalpur municipal corporation (BMC) employees' strike, which got a fresh lease of life after a complaint was filed against the town commissioner.

Bhagalpur police have constituted a six-member special task force under deputy superintendent of police (DSP) to ensure the arrest of culprits, mainly two ward councillors and the husband of one, who are accused of manhandling the IAS town commissioner and indulging in vandalism at the BMC's offices on the evening of April 5.

Bhagalpur zilla parisad chairman Tuntun Sha, who is also mayor Seema Sha's husband, has meanwhile filed a sanha (complaint) in the court of the Bhagalpur chief judicial magistrate (CJM), accusing thetown commissioner and 13 BMC employees of embezzling government money. But the complaint ended up provoking the employees who had almost decided to call off their strike on Friday evening. They have now decided to continue the strike, while the city continues to suffer because of it.

"The district magistrate is on leave. I've instructed SDO, Bhagalpur to take measures to restore BMC's functioning, at least vis-a-vis cleanness," DDc Rajesh told The Telegraph. He also held meetings with a team of 12 ward councillors led by deputy mayor Rajesh Verma. Mayor Seema Sha was not present there. "The police are doing their best to arrest the accused. There is no logic behind BMC employees remaining on strike," he said.

According to Aditya Jaiswal, a BMC employee, they had resolved to call off the strike on Friday evening but news of the zilla parishad chairman filing a complaint against the town commissioner and some BMC staff made them decide to continue the strike.