Jindal, a 2017-batch officer of the Indian Engineering Service, has been posted in the Shimla region since 2024. He holds a BTech degree from IIT (BHU) in Varanasi from where he graduated in 2016. (Express photo)Two days after he was allegedly assaulted by Himachal Pradesh minister Anirudh Singh after a multi-storeyed building collapsed at Chamyana in Shimla amid road construction in the area, NHAI manager Achal Jindal, 30, said he wished to head to his hometown in Delhi for some time.It is alleged that the building collapsed due to ongoing four-lane construction work carried out by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in the area. Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh had visited the site along with other officials. Jindal claimed that he and Yogesh Verma, 24, a site engineer with NHAI, were called by the minister for a meeting but were instead assaulted.Speaking to The Indian Express over the phone on Wednesday, the NHAI manager said, “I was overwhelmed by the support I received after the attack—even from Union Minister Nitin Gadkari… I didn’t expect it. Although I have not received any adverse messages or calls since lodging the FIR (First Information Report), I want to go to my home in Delhi for some time,” he said.Jindal – who reportedly suffered a head injury in the incident – said, “I don’t want to talk much about the incident as doctors have advised me complete rest.”A 2017-batch officer of the Indian Engineering Service, Jindal has been posted in the Shimla region since 2024. Prior to this, he served in Amritsar. He holds a BTech degree from IIT (BHU) in Varanasi from where he graduated in 2016.A senior NHAI official of project director rank said, “Achal Jindal is married and was blessed with a daughter in December last year. After the attack, his parents and in-laws rushed from Delhi to Shimla, where he lives with his wife and daughter in the Chakkar area. We have also advised him not to speak much. He is an energetic and completely honest officer. He was transferred from Amritsar to Shimla in 2023.”Yogesh Verma, a resident of Junga in Shimla, reportedly sustained partial hearing loss, besides other internal injuries, in the attack. Both Jindal and Verma have since been discharged from the hospital. A police officer stated, “Their medical-legal reports (MLRs) are awaited.”Story continues below this adFIR against NHAI officialsMeanwhile, the Shimla district police have registered an FIR against Jindal and Verma for allegedly misbehaving with and assaulting members of the Chamyana gram panchayat. The FIR was filed based on a complaint by Nihal Thakur, a gram panchayat member.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:NHAI