Shimla, July 2 -- Himachal Pradesh panchayati raj minister Anirudh Singh Rana was on Tuesday booked for assaulting a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official, Achal Jindal, during a site inspection where a five-storeyed residential building had collapsed in the Bhattakuffar area of Shimla on Monday. "The FIR against Anirudh Singh Rana has been registered at Dhalli police station under sections 132 (criminal force to deter public servant while performing his duty), 121 (1) (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (intentional insult), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint) and 3 (5) (criminal act committed by several persons) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)," said Dhalli police station in-charge Virochan Negi. The incident triggered a political storm, with Opposition mounting a sharp attack on the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government in the state. Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari condemned the "heinous assault". "Such a brutal attack on a public servant performing his official duties not only endangers individual safety but also erodes institutional integrity. I have taken serious cognisance of the matter and spoken to CM Sukhu, urging immediate and exemplary action against all perpetrators," Gadkari said in a Facebook post. NHAI chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav also wrote a letter to HP chief secretary Prabodh Saxena, demanding a detailed inquiry into the incident and action against all those responsible. Anirudh, a three-time MLA from Kasumpti assembly constituency, refuse to comment on the matter. CM Sukhu, on his part, assured of appropriate action. Jindal, NHAI manager (technical), is undergoing treatment at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) in Shimla. In his complaint, Jindal said he, along with a site engineer Yogesh, went to attend a meeting called by Shimla rural sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Manjeet Sharma at 11.30am on June 30 to review the collapse of the five-storeyed building on Chamyana road. Since the SDM was not present in the office, Yogesh contacted the SDM by phone and they were directed to come to the collapse site in Bhattakufar, where four-laning work by the NHAI was underway. On reaching, they found minister Anirudh Singh Rana there along with the SDM and some local residents. The minister was at the site to assess the building collapse. Jindal enquired about the incident from the contractor concerned, who informed him that the building had been vacated on the evening of June 29 and the occupants were safely evacuated to prevent any casualties. Jindal informed the minister that the collapsed building was 30 metres away from the national highway's right of way (ROW) and, as per the NHAI agreement, any damage occurring outside the ROW falls under the jurisdiction of the state government. On hearing this, Rana became agitated and began verbally abusing Jindal in front of the SDM and the local residents, as per the complaint. He then allegedly took Jindal and Yogesh into a nearby room belonging to a local resident, where he began physically assaulting Jindal in the presence of the locals. The minister allegedly hit Jindal on the head with a pitcher, causing a head injury and bleeding. When engineer Yogesh tried to intervene, he too was beaten up. The complaint said that SDM Manjeet Sharma did not intervene or assist the victims. According to the complaint, both Jindal and Yogesh managed to escape the scene and reached IGMC Hospital in their private vehicle, where they are currently undergoing treatment. Jindal sought police protection and sought a fair investigation, demanding strict action against the minister and others involved. Condemning the incident, leader of Opposition and former chief minister Jairam Thakur sought Rana's dismissal from the cabinet. "This type of anarchy will not be tolerated. The attack on NHAI officers in the presence of a minister and officials is an example of the declining law and order in the state. The CM should drop the minister from the cabinet."...