Thiruvananthapuram: A chief engineer, who recently visited the office of Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine, has filed a complaint accusing the minister's additional private secretary, Premji, of alleged manhandling. The complaint has been registered by Shyam Gopal, the Chief Engineer of Kuttanad Package and Inland Navigation.

The alleged incident happened on Thursday around 11 am, when Gopal was scheduled to meet the minister’s private secretary. According to Gopal’s complaint with the departmental secretary and minister, the incident happened when he was waiting in the special private secretary’s room.

Gopal said that Premji came charging against him and pushed him saying `get out’. He has also stated in the complaint that the situation was brought under control when other staffers intervened.

Meanwhile, Premji refuted the allegation. “Shyam Gopal was not present in the office when a submission relating to the Kuttanad Package was presented in the assembly. The minister had to reply on the matter in the assembly and Gopal was not available on phone too. The issue was intimated to Gopal when he had come for a review meeting the other day. He gave an unsavoury response before the officials concerned. The issue was intimated to the minister,” he said.  

Premji further claimed that he only asked Gopal to visit the office after the minister’s acknowledgment.