Two men were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the alleged assault of a 53-year-old Army Brigadier and his son. The army officer and his son had objected to these people drinking in public outside their residence in Delhi’s Vasant Enclave, police said.
In a statement, deputy commissioner of police (south-west) Amit Goel said that Satender, 49, and Sanjay Sharma, 56, had been arrested. He added that the Mercedes vehicle in which the two were allegedly consuming alcohol has been seized.
As per the statement, Satender is a director at Chaudhary Aviation Pvt Ltd, which provides flight services, including chartered and cargo operations, and is also involved in the sale and purchase of aircraft and their parts. Sharma, on the other hand, runs Pandit Ji Dhaba in Mehram Nagar.
What happened?
Brigadier Parminder Singh Arora and his 23-year-old son Tejas Arora said they were attacked in the presence of a police officer, and that their complaint was not acted upon immediately at Vasant Vihar police station, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.
Arora said that at about 10pm, he and his son went out for a walk and saw two men drinking inside a Mercedes-Benz parked outside their home. “We knew they were not from our block, so I asked them not to drink in public,” he said. The men allegedly refused.
Arora then contacted the police, and a junior-rank officer reached the spot. The officer listened to the complaint but said no action could be taken.
Shortly after, around seven to eight people allegedly reached the spot and began attacking his son, while also pushing him. “The policeman just stood there and did nothing,” Arora said.
In her written complaint to the police, seen by HT, the brigadier’s wife also said that they passed “comments which outraged my modesty” when she tried to intervene and protect her husband and son.
What did the police say?
After the matter gained attention on social media, a case was registered on Monday under Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 79 (outraging modesty of a woman), 191(2) (rioting), and 190 (unlawful assembly) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, based on the complaint filed by the officer’s wife.
DCP Goel earlier said that action had been taken against an inspector. “During the inquiry, a lapse was found on the part of the inspector (investigation), and he has been sent to district lines,” he said.
Delhi lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the alleged assault. He said he was “deeply concerned” about the incident and has directed police to ensure full security for the officer’s family.
