RAJBIRAJ: Official work has come to a standstill at the ward offices and municipality office of Bodebarasain Municipality in Saptari district after the Chief Administrative Officer at the municipality office was manhandled.

Officer Umesh Kumar Yadav was manhandled by Mahesh Yadav of ward 5 on Tuesday, according to the municipality office. Mahesh Yadav is the chairperson of the ward's consumers committee working towards electrification of the ward.

It has been indicated that chair Yadav manhandled the officer in the process of collecting deposit money that had been kept at the municipality's account prior to the work of electrification, which cost a total of Rs 500,000.

Officer Yadav said that when the cheque provided by the municipality office could not be cashed due to some error, Mahesh Yadav had visited the municipality office to collect another cheque, during which time he had manhandled and verbally abused the officer.

Following the incident, Umesh Yadav corresponded to all the ward offices to hold their operations. The same correspondence had also been copied to District Coordination Committee and District Administration Office.

However, mayor of the municipality Aatesh Kumar Yadav said that a simple matter had been blown out of proportion, adding that the municipality office was carrying out its operations.