Gurgaon: A scheduled House meeting of Municipal Corporation Manesar (MCM) was abruptly cancelled on Monday amid chaos and clashes, followed by police complaints.A confrontation between mayor Inderjeet Kaur Yadav and senior deputy mayor Praveen Yadav escalated into a political and legal dispute, with both sides filing police complaints accusing each other of abuse, intimidation and misconduct.Praveen alleged that he was assaulted, threatened with death and prevented from participating in the House proceedings by supporters of the mayor. Later, he alleged that the mayor’s “gunmen” were called after meeting was called off and it created an atmosphere of “fear” in the MCM office.“We are aware of the incident. If any complaint has been submitted at the police station, we will take necessary action after the investigation,” ACP Manesar Virender Saini told TOI. The mayor and municipal commissioner Pradeep Singh couldn’t be contacted by TOI for their comments.The meeting descended into chaos shortly after it began when the senior deputy mayor sought to raise the issue of constituting municipal committees. Mayor objected, saying the House should first take up the items listed on the official agenda and that non-agenda issues could be discussed later.The MCM commissioner attempted to defuse the situation, suggesting that the House first discuss one agenda item before allowing the senior deputy mayor to raise his issue. However, the disagreement quickly spiralled into a verbal altercation between councillors supporting the mayor and those backing the senior deputy mayor, forcing the meeting to be called off.The confrontation later spilled outside the meeting room, with both camps accusing each other of assault, threats and abusive behaviour.According to Praveen’s complaint, the House meeting, which was scheduled to be held in the corporation’s designated community hall, was instead convened in the mayor’s office. He alleged that even before the proceedings began, the mayor and her supporters deliberately created a dispute, after which the mayor abruptly announced the cancellation of the meeting.Praveen alleged that while he was leaving the mayor’s office, the mayor’s supporters pushed him and forcibly removed him from the premises. He also claimed that after the meeting was called off, people already present inside the mayor’s office, along with police personnel deployed for security, pushed women councillors and used objectionable and abusive language against them.“During the incident, deputy mayor Reema Chauhan’s hand was scratched and councillor Suman Yadav was pushed by the mayor’s personal male guard and forced out,” Praveen said.He claimed that the incident endangered not only his life but also the safety of other elected representatives present and created an atmosphere of fear that disrupted the functioning of the civic body.Seeking legal action, Praveen urged police to register an FIR, investigate the incident, examine CCTV footage and record the statements of officials and elected representatives present during the meeting.However, the allegations were strongly contested by Parvesh Yadav, a councillor from Ward 18 aligned with the mayor’s camp. She accused the senior deputy mayor of repeatedly disrupting House proceedings.“The senior deputy mayor is a troublemaker. He never lets a meeting be conducted peacefully. Every time, he wants to speak first,” Parvesh said. According to her, the mayor had merely insisted that the House first take up the scheduled agenda before discussing the constitution of committees, which was not listed for discussion. “He refused to cooperate. He used uncivilised language with me and later, while we were leaving the mayor’s office, told me not to interfere,” Parvesh alleged.Parvesh has also filed a police complaint against Praveen, accusing him of using abusive and insulting language against her during the meeting.In the complaint, she alleged that Praveen became aggressive while she asked him to be respectful towards the mayor leading the House meeting and addressed her with offensive and derogatory remarks that insulted her dignity as a woman. She alleged that despite being asked to stop, he continued his aggressive behaviour.According to the complaint, after the meeting ended, Praveen threatened her, saying: “If you come in front of me again, I will not spare you alive. It will be very bad for you. Understand this, otherwise the consequences will be very severe, for you and for your family as well.”She said that the alleged threat had caused her to fear for her life and claimed that such behaviour by the senior deputy mayor was not an isolated incident, alleging that he frequently used abusive language and behaved in an unruly manner during House meetings.An MCM spokesperson confirmed that Monday’s House meeting had been cancelled and said it would now be reconvened next week, although the revised date has not yet been finalised.The latest confrontation marks another episode in the ongoing political tussle within MCM, where repeated disputes between rival factions have disrupted the functioning of the House.
