New Delhi, Apr 14 (PTI) The director of an aviation firm and a dhaba owner were arrested in connection with the assault on an Army brigadier and his son after the officer objected to the duo drinking alcohol in a car parked outside his residence in Delhi’s Vasant Enclave, police said on Tuesday.
The arrested accused were Satender alias Sonu (49) and Sanjay Sharma (56), both residents of Mehram Nagar in Vasant Enclave.
Satender is the director of Chaudhary Aviation Pvt Ltd, a firm that offers charter and cargo flight services and deals in the purchase and sale of aircraft and aircraft parts. Sharma runs a local eatery, Pandit Ji Dhaba, in Mehram Nagar, according to a police statement.
The arrests were made a day after the police registered an FIR against Satender, Sharma and their associates in the incident that took place on Saturday.
“We have arrested the accused from Delhi. We are verifying the number of people involved in the incident,” said another police officer, who added that police have seized the Mercedes car the accused were in during the incident.
Army Brigadier Parminder Singh Arora and his IIT graduate son Tejas Singh Arora were allegedly assaulted on Saturday night, while the officer’s wife was threatened and abused, when they objected to the accused drinking in a car parked outside their residence.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu appreciated the swift police action and directed them to fast-track the investigation.
Earlier in the day, he expressed concern over the incident and also spoke to the assaulted Army officer.
“With two key accused now apprehended and the vehicle seized, the investigation must be fast-tracked to ensure all accomplices are brought to justice,” Sandhu said.
He also directed the police to provide full security to the brigadier and his family.
In an earlier X post, the lieutenant governor said, “…I also spoke with the Police Commissioner and the DCP, directing them to ensure a thorough and swift investigation, leading to immediate and appropriate action against those responsible.” According to police, the incident took place on the night of April 11, when Brigadier Arora and his son Tejas Arora were taking a walk after dinner and noticed two men drinking in a car parked outside their residence.
When Arora objected to them drinking in the residential area, the situation escalated quickly. A group of men arrived at the spot and allegedly attacked the officer and his son, and also abused and threatened the officer’s wife, police said.
Speaking to mediapersons after the incident, Tejas Arora had said, “On Saturday night, after dinner, my father Brigadier Parminder Singh Arora and I were out for a walk. We saw two men inside a luxury car openly drinking and smoking.” He said they politely asked the men to move elsewhere, as it was a residential area and public drinking was inappropriate.
“The moment we requested them to leave, they became hostile and dared us to call anyone. My father then asked me to call the police control room,” he said.
Tejas Arora further alleged that the police personnel who arrived at the spot refused to record their complaint.
He said he was assaulted for about 15 minutes, while his father was also surrounded and attacked, even as the police personnel present at the scene failed to intervene effectively.
The brigadier’s wife had also accused the police personnel of inaction despite her repeated pleas for help during the attack.
Taking cognisance of the matter, Delhi Police on Monday registered an FIR under Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 79 (any word, gesture, act or object intrusion intended to insult the modesty of a woman or violate her privacy), 191(2) (rioting) and 190 (unlawful assembly) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
During preliminary enquiry, a lapse was found on part of the investigating officer, following which he was sent to the district lines.
Several videos of the incident, showing the two men inside the car holding liquor bottles, have surfaced on social media, triggering widespread public outrage.
The Indian Army has taken serious cognisance of the matter and directed its military police to assist the officer. The Army authorities have also approached the Delhi Police, seeking an expeditious investigation in the case.
A former Army officer, Colonel Danvir Singh, said on X that he spoke to Brigadier Arora.
In his post, Colonel Singh alleged that the “Mercedes Benz goons” were consuming alcohol in public. When objected to, the “anti-social” “car-o-bar duo” called in seven to eight accomplices who were nearby and assaulted the brigadier and his son. The brigadier, who was part of numerous operations in the hinterland of Kashmir and elsewhere, and his son sustained injuries in the scuffle that ensued, Colonel Singh said.
Police said further investigation is underway to identify other people involved in the assault. PTI BM VIT RUK RUK
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