New Delhi: A long-standing property dispute over a gym in Laxmi Nagar escalated into a brutal public assault on January 2, leaving a 52-year-old man and his son stripped and beaten, while his wife was allegedly molested. The violence, captured in viral videos, was the culmination of months of harassment faced by the Garg family.
The victims, Rajesh Garg and his 26-year-old son Vasu, were attacked by a group of men identified as Shubham Yadav, Vikas Yadav, Omkar Yadav, and Satish Yadav (alias Pintu). While Satish Yadav has been arrested, the other accused remain at large. One of the absconding suspects, Omkar Yadav, is allegedly linked to the BJP and RSS.
According to the complaint, the violence began when the accused arrived at the family's residence. Rita Garg (51) recounted the horror to the media: "Satish Yadav and his son, Vikas, came in a car and hit the house wall, intending to hit Rajesh with the vehicle."
The situation rapidly deteriorated as the attackers dragged Rajesh into the gym basement, stripped him, and beat him with an iron rod. When Rita attempted to intervene, she was allegedly assaulted, groped, and thrown onto the road. "My hair was pulled, my face was struck, and my chest was groped," she stated in the FIR.
The attackers then entered the house, dragged Vasu onto the road, stripped him, and rained blows upon him. Viral footage shows the young man being kicked in the face and beaten with shoes while bystanders watched. He suffered a broken tooth and head trauma.
The conflict stems from an ownership dispute over a gym located in the basement of the Garg residence. Rita Garg alleges that Satish Yadav, originally hired as a caretaker, began asserting illegal ownership of the commercial venture. The family claims they possess all legal documents, but requests for Yadav to vacate were met with threats.
The immediate trigger for the January 2 violence was a sewage leak from the gym into the Garg residence. When Rajesh went to the basement to address the foul smell and waterlogging after his calls were ignored, he was ambushed.
The injured family was treated at Dr Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan. Medical reports confirm Rajesh suffered multiple facial contusions and swelling, limiting his ability to open his mouth. Vasu sustained multiple bruises on his back and face, while Rita had injuries to her hand.
Police have registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint, criminal trespass, and assault intended to insult a woman’s modesty.
"Satish Yadav has been arrested, while others remain at large. Multiple teams have been formed to trace and nab the remaining accused," a senior police officer stated, adding that CCTV footage is being examined to reconstruct the sequence of events.
(Inputs from PTI)