Anand :NCP MLA Jayant Patel and his supporters today created a ruckus at a science fair near here and assaulted an official and two teachers for not mentioning his name in the invitation of the government programme, police said.

Based on a complaint lodged later, the MLA from Umreth in Anand district, and seven of his supporters were booked for assaulting public servants, rioting, unlawful assembly, trespassing and damaging public property, police said.

According to police, the incident took place this morning at a science fair organised by the Gujarat Education Department at Ratanpura village in Umreth Taluka.

Patel and his supporters then stormed into the venue and started arguing with Rakesh Khira, who works at the District Education and Training Centre here, for not mentioning his name on the event’s invitation card, according to the complaint.

“Patel argued that being the sitting MLA of the area, his name must have been mentioned on the card. Though Khira apologised for the omission, Patel allegedly slapped him. In the FIR, Khira also claimed that Patel and his supporters manhandled two other teachers and damaged property,” Police Sub Inspector of Umreth, A J Chauhan, said.

No arrests have been made in the case so far, he added.

“Based on a complaint filed by Khira, Umreth taluka police lodged an FIR against Patel and seven others for assaulting public servants, rioting, unlawful assembly, trespassing and damaging public property,” Chauhan added.

Patel, popularly known as Jayant “Bosky”, is also the chief of the Gujarat unit of the Sharad Pawar-led party. PTI