Patna, July 30: Police lodged an FIR against Mahboob Alam, an MLA from Balrampur, Katihar (around 300km east of Patna) after he slapped a nationalised bank manager in full public view today.

The incident took place after 59-year-old Alam, who belongs to the CPI-ML(Liberation) walked into the bank but was reportedly not requested to sit by the manager. This enraged the MLA who slapped Rakesh Ranjan.

Alam admitted to The Telegraph that he had hit the manager. "I was touring the flood-affected spots in my constituency when I reached the Gwaltoli area and found a crowd outside the bank. The people told me that the branch manager used to exploit them in many ways. As I entered the office and questioned him, the man got angry and started to abuse me. He asked me to get out. I was not even asked to sit even after I told him that I was an MLA. This made me angry and then the incident took place. After the incident, I contacted the police and the sub-divisional officer, telling them about the incident," he said.

Chandrika Prasad, the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Barsoi, said: "The bank official had lodged a complaint and had produced a video footage on the whole incident. There is a CCTV camera installed in his chamber and things have been recorded. The police have lodged an FIR against and are investigating the case. At present, floods have affected many places of the district and the police have to deal with the same too. However, investigations are being carried out,"

The video footage with The Telegraph shows a cop coming into the manager's office around 1.06pm and informing him that the MLA was arriving. After a few minutes, the MLA comes and is offered a chair but Alam refuses. He then asks the manager to come near him and after some talk, suddenly slaps him. As the MLA walks out, the manager follows him.

When The Telegraph tried to call the manager on his cellphone, it was found to be switched off. A bank employee, who requested anonymity, claimed that Alam was not pleased with the chair he was requested to sit on.

"He had heard a few men complaining about the man and walked inside. However, when the manager asked him to take a seat, he saw the chair and refused. He wanted to sit in the manager's chair but the manager refused. To this, the MLA called him near him and alleged that he was not working for the welfare of the people. As the manager tried to explain, he was slapped by the MLA who then asked him to follow him," the official said.