Chhattisgarh minister accused of assaulting govt guest house employee

A contractual employee working at a government guest house in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district has alleged that state forest minister Kedar Kashyap physically assaulted and verbally abused him—an accusation that the BJP minister has denied.

The claims have ignited a political controversy, with the Opposition Congress party calling for Kashyap’s removal from the cabinet and the registration of a First Information Report (FIR).

Khitendra Pandey, a 36-year-old daily wage cook employed at the Circuit House in Jagdalpur, the district’s administrative centre, filed a police complaint on Saturday evening, seeking criminal action against the minister.

Bastar Superintendent of Police, Shalabh Sinha, confirmed that a complaint had been lodged at the Kotwali police station and that further inquiry is underway.

Speaking to the media, Pandey alleged that the minister abused and assaulted him on 6 September evening at the guest house, accusing him of failing to unlock guest rooms.

"I have been working here for the last 20 years. At around 7.30 pm on Saturday, I was cooking snacks for the minister when his Personal Security Officer came up to me and called me. When I went there, minister Kedar Kashyap started abusing me using cuss words," he alleged."The minister held my collar and started thrashing me. The PA (personal assistant of the minister) rescued me and took me away," Pandey claimed.

He further stated that the assault stemmed from accusations that he had not unlocked the rooms.

"I don't know anything about it. All three rooms were already open," he said.

Pandey, who said he suffers from paralysis, appealed for justice alongside his wife.

In response, Minister Kedar Kashyap denied the allegations, calling them “baseless and politically motivated”. He accused the Congress of lacking substantive issues and engaging in a smear campaign.

"Our workers are like deities to me, and their insult is intolerable. Congress is issue-less and the only work left for it is to spread misleading propaganda. The kind of incident that is being talked about has not happened at all," Kashyap stated in a message posted to his social media group.

The incident has drawn sharp criticism from senior Congress leaders. Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel posted a video of the alleged victim on X (formerly Twitter), condemning the minister’s actions.

"Is only Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother a mother, or are everyone's mother also mothers? Now BJP has to answer this question," Baghel wrote.

Baghel went on to assert: “Kedar Kashyap is a senior minister of Chhattisgarh. He abused an employee in Jagdalpur and also hit him by grabbing his collar.”

The Congress veteran demanded Kashyap’s resignation and a public apology.

"The BJP should take resignation of the minister. He should also apologise publicly," Baghel said." It would be good if he apologises while crying, but if the tears have dried up, then it will do even without crying," he added sarcastically.

In another social media post, Baghel addressed Prime Minister Modi directly:

"Prime Minister @narendramodi ji! If you respect every mother of the country then show the courage to immediately sack the 'galibaaz' (abusive) minister".

Chhattisgarh Congress President Deepak Baij echoed the demand for accountability, urging legal action and ministerial dismissal.

"If a minister misbehaves like this with Class IV employees, where will the common man go? I have assured Khitendra Pandey that the Congress party stands with him. An FIR should be lodged against the minister, and he must apologise," Baij said.

The Congress party has announced plans to protest across all district headquarters on 7 September, demanding that Kashyap be removed from his post. The demonstrations will include the burning of effigies in a symbolic gesture of dissent.

With PTI inputs