Candidates’ aides come to blows at Fbd election office

Gurgaon: A scuffle broke out outside the election and registration office in Ballabgarh on Thursday when the Congress candidate, Parag Sharma, arrived to file her nomination. Supporters of former MLA Sharda Rathore, who is contesting as an Independent after being denied a ticket, allegedly snatched the nomination papers from Sharma's brother's hand, which led to the clash.Police lodged an FIR against unidentified individuals on Saturday. Sharma alleged that one of the assailants was Rathore's brother.On Thursday, when Sharma arrived at the office to file her nomination with her brother Vaibhav and party members, around 15 people who were standing at the gate — including Rathore's brother and her supporters — snatched the papers from Vaibhav's hand. Following this, a scuffle broke out between the two groups, despite the presence of police at the gate. Police intervened and escorted both Sharma and Rathore to the office."The incident occurred around 2.45pm when I was entering the main gate of the office while my sister was filing her nomination papers inside. She had half of the papers with her and I had the other half. The assailants stopped me at the gate and began physically assaulting me. During the altercation, they forcibly snatched important documents from me and ran off towards the road. Sharda Rathore, the Independent candidate, was sitting in a black Mahindra vehicle nearby, and her brother was in the group of assailants," said Vaibhav, who is an advocate, like his sister.The entire incident was captured on video, which Sharma has promised to provide to the authorities.He was unable to file the complaint on the day of the incident due to ill health, he said. The assailants not only assaulted Sharma and snatched his documents but also threatened to kill him, he alleged."An FIR has been registered at the City Ballabgarh police station under sections 115 (physical assault), 126 (wrongful restraint), 304 (snatching, forcibly stealing) and 351 (2) (criminal intimidation) of BNS. The cops deployed at the office intervened in time and the candidates were able to file their nomination. The assailants were prevented from causing further harm. The case is under investigation," a police spokesperson said.Sharda Rathore could not be reached for comments despite several attempts till late evening. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Valentine's day wishes, messages and gift idea !