Gujarat IAS officer Nitin Sangwan was allegedly held hostage and thrashed by a group of men associated with fishing activity during his visit to a village near the Dharoi dam in Sabarkantha district on March 8, said police.

Mr. Sangwan, the Director of Fisheries, was accompanied by his subordinate staff on the March 6 visit to the village and was injured in the attack but was not in danger, according to Sabarkantha district Superintendent of Police (DSP) Vishal Vaghela. Police have arrested three persons for their alleged involvement in the attack on the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, he said.

“While three persons involved in the crime have already been arrested, efforts were on to identify and nab the other accused,” said Mr. Vaghela.

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The bureaucrat and his team travelled to Ambavada village near the Dharoi dam on the Sabarmati river to check a fisheries project in which the State Government pays subsidies to local contractors to begin “cage culture fishing” in dam water. According to the FIR, the 2016-batch IAS officer was joined on the visit by D.N. Patel, a senior Fisheries Department official from Palanpur, and some junior staff.

In his report to the Vadali police station, Mr. Patel claimed that Babu Parmar, one of the fishing contractors and a key accused in the case, began arguing with Mr. Sangwan after learning the official had discovered his wrongdoings and could pursue legal action against him.

Parmar, of Kanthapura village in Khedbrahma taluka, became enraged and bit Mr. Sangwan around his knees. According to the FIR, four additional people thereafter arrived on the scene and assaulted the IAS officer. Parmar then summoned 10 to 12 other men, who arrived armed with sticks and kept Mr. Sangwan and his crew hostage until they agreed to write and sign a piece of paper promising not to file a police complaint against him after they left the scene. According to the FIR, Parmar and others also threatened to throw Mr. Sangwan and his team members into the dam.

Based on Mr. Patel’s complaint, the Vadali police filed an FIR against Parmar and his men under various sections of the IPC, including 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death), 147 (rioting), 189 (threat of injury to a public servant), 332 (causing harm to a public servant), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 353 (assaulting public servant).

Those arrested were identified by the police as Dilip Parmar, Nilesh Gamar and Vishnu Gamar, all residents of Banaskantha district.