Month after NRI complained of assault, cops lodge FIR

Jalandhar, February 28

A US-based NRI, who was in Jalandhar to spend time with his family, faced an assault and it took the police full one month to lodge a case.

The matter was brought before the media by former BJP minister Manoranjan Kalia. On January 27, assailants chopped off 36-year-old NRI Amit’s two fingers from the left hand with a sword. He underwent surgeries but his fingers remain stiff. His elder brother Puneet, who resides in Rama Mandi, too was attacked with the sword on his back, but he escaped without any major injury.

Father of Amit and Puneet, Gurbax Puri, who, too, is a US citizen, alleged: “We had been visiting the police staff for getting a case lodged for the past one month. Every time we went to the police station, we were asked to reach a compromise or get ready to face a counter FIR. We kept showing them the CCTV as an evidence to make our point that we are not to be blamed, but no one listened to us.”

He said when he contacted Kalia, he called them to his place. “I understood the entire matter and called up ADGP NRI Affairs Parveen Sinha. He intervened in the matter and finally an FIR was lodged today,” Kalia told the mediapersons. Gurbax Puri said, “We have faced such a shoddy treatment at the hands of the police that we do not feel like coming back to India again.”

Narrating the January 27 incident, Puneet said, “I and Amit were going home on our Activa scooter. Just then, some car-borne people, including two men and a woman, passed abusive remarks. We asked them the reason. Instead of replying, they began attacking us with a sword. They caused me injuries on my back. My brother Amit faced more grievous injuries. We had to rush him to hospital. Since he was working as a driver in the US, we doubt if he will be able to go into the same occupation again. We still have no clue as to who those people were and why they attacked us so badly.

Rama Mandi SHO Navdeep Singh said, “It was actually a case of road rage. Now, the other side has also got an MLR done. We need to look into that as well.” — TNS

Don’t feel like coming back again

Every time we went to the police station, we were asked to reach a compromise or get ready to face a counter FIR…no one listened to us. We have faced such a shoddy treatment that we do not feel like coming back to India again. — Gurbax Puri, victim’s father