Jamshedpur, Aug. 23: A group of lawyers today manhandled advocate Udit Sarkar and assaulted an income tax official, Chaitanya Kisku.

Kisku had accompanied Sarkar to the court for obtaining bail in a complaint case filed against him by a local lawyer A.K. Jha. The complainant and lawyers friendly to him objected to Sarkar defending Kisku.

The taxman was injured in the assault and admitted to Tata Main Hospital. Late in the evening, an FIR was also lodged against Jha and an “unknown” group lawyers for assaulting him. Sarkar, however, denied any FIR had been lodged.

Jha, who could not be contacted for comment, had earlier claimed that on a visit to the income tax office here, officials had demanded money from him. On his refusal, they had manhandled him and snatched Rs 1,500 in his possession. In his complaint petition filed before the court of the chief judicial magistrate, Jha named assistant commissioner, income tax, Anuradha Mishra, Kisku and 13 other employees of the department.

Tax officials, however, claimed that Jha had caused public nuisance in the office by demanding that a small amount due to be refunded to him, should be paid immediately and in cash.

When officials explained that the refund would be sent by post, he apparently became violent and started abusing them. An altercation followed and the commotion brought other officials, including Mishra, rushing out of their chambers.

They accused Jha of misusing his position as a lawyer to lodge a false case against them. But the court and the police expressed helplessness and suggested that officials should take up the matter with the Bar Council. The investigating officer, however, dropped the name of the assistant commissioner from the list of the accused, realising the absurdity of charging the lady with snatching money from the lawyer’s person and assaulting him.

Jha, who also happens to be the president of Jamshedpur Animal Welfare Society (JAWS), today objected to Sarkar appearing for Kisku in the court. He and a group of lawyers turned violent even as Sarkar pleaded that he would be appealing for another date. The frenzied lawyers were prevented from inflicting more serious injuries to Kisku following intervention of their saner colleagues.

Though the assault took place just outside the courtroom of S.K. Choudhary, no action was taken against the lawyers.