Dalit govt employee alleges assault over withheld salary in Meerut

Meerut: A Dalit class four employee (peon) at Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar airstrip in Meerut has alleged that govt employees physically assaulted him, using caste-based slurs on Sept 13 after he complained about his withheld salary by an employee at the DM office. A copy of the complaint submitted to Meerut district magistrate Deepak Meena stated that the assault took place inside the additional city magistrate (ACM) court in Meerut. The complaint circulated on social media on Wednesday, but no FIR has been filed yet.Anil Kumar, a Haryana resident temporarily attached to the Meerut collectorate, said that Gaurav Pathak, an employee at the DM office, abused him after a verbal spat over his salary. When Kumar approached a clerk in the ACM (Judicial) office, Pathak, along with Prashant and Uday Bhan, allegedly abused and assaulted him until other govt employees intervened. The ACM was not present at the time of the incident.Kumar said the altercation was triggered by Pathak and his associates, who wanted to "teach him a lesson" for complaining to the city magistrate about his long-pending salary. The accused were responsible for processing his pay.DM Meerut, Deepak Meena, told TOI, "The matter has come to our knowledge, and it appears to be an internal dispute. The ADM (E) has been asked to investigate and submit a report on Thursday."