Pune: Youth Congress workers in Rajgad Taluka expressed their frustration over the lack of road repairs by throwing ink on a junior engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD).

The incident took place around 1 PM on Monday (August 5) at the PWD office in Velhe, following repeated complaints about the deteriorating condition of the Bhatti Khind to Keld road.

Despite explicit instructions from MLA Sangram Thopte during a coordination committee meeting to repair the road, no action was taken by the PWD, causing severe inconvenience to residents. This led the Youth Congress workers to take extreme measures to express their dissatisfaction.

The engineer, Saiprasad Dineshrao Mangilwar (34), currently residing in Ambegaon Budruk, Pune, and originally from Deglur, Nanded district, has lodged a complaint with Velhe police.

According to Nitin Khamgal, in-charge assistant police inspector of Velhe, the incident occurred on Monday at around 1 PM at the PWD office in Velhe.

The backstory of this incident dates to Friday, July 26, when a coordination committee meeting chaired by MLA Sangram Thopte was held in the Panchayat Samiti hall. In the meeting, residents from the remote areas, including Keld, Pasli, Varoti, and other villages in the Maval region, raised concerns about the poor condition of the roads.

Despite immediate instructions for repairs being given by Thopte to the concerned officers, no action was taken even after ten days.

Following the incident, the engineer filed a complaint with the Velhe police station against the Congress workers. In his complaint, he stated that ink was thrown on his head, face, and body, and that the workers used abusive language and threatened him, preventing him from carrying out his official duties.

The Velhe police have registered a case against Mahesh Jadhav (full name not known), residing in Kolambi (Velhe, Rajgad), Youth Congress Taluka President Shivraj Shendkar, and 10 to 12 others, informed Nitin Khamgal.