In a bizarre incident, a man bit the index finger of a congress at an event in Haldwani on Friday.

The surprising move happened when Congress district General Secretary Nandan Mehra was selling onions at Rs 30/kg at a gathering. According to reports, the accused, identified as Manish Bisht, tried to force enter the stalls that were set up at the Buddha park. When he was stopped from entering, in a fit of rage, he bit the index finger of the Congress leader Mehra.

While Congress workers have alleged that Bisht is a BJP worker and was misbehaving with women too, at the stalls, police said that Bisht is unemployed and blames his misfortune on the government.

According to eyewitnesses, Bisht came near the stalls and started chanting anti-Modi slogans. When he was stopped he started abusing Congress leaders too.

Ramesh Goswami, state Congress sevadal vice-president and one of the organisers of the event, said, “Bisht also tried to slap one of our women workers. When we surrounded him, he bit off a part of Mehra’s left index finger.”

Mehra, who says that he was rather trying to pacify Bisht, is saddened and surprised by the incident. “I was just trying to calm him when he started abusing all of us. He then somehow managed to get hold of my index finger and bit it off,” he said.

Following the incident, Bisht was beaten by Congress workers and was taken into the police custody.

Meanwhile, BJP district president Pradeep Bisht said that the accused is mentally unstable but is not associated with us in any way. We condemn such acts.”