Jalandhar: Son of AAP halqa in-charge, friend ‘beat up’ Dalit youth

Jalandhar, September 16

In what could be termed as the high-handedness of the ruling AAP government, the son of AAP Jalandhar North halqa in-charge Dinesh Dhall and his friend allegedly abducted a Dalit youth in a car and beat him up badly late last evening.

How it all started

Sharing details on how it all started, victim Aakash Bangar said: “I was coming from near Dakoha last evening in my Baleno car. Dhall’s son and his friend were following me and continuously using a hooter, which irritated me. I got out of the car and asked him why he was using it when he was no big shot. On this, he and his friend got agitated. They bundled me in his car, covered my face with a cloth and kept on beating me throughout. Since I hail from Phagwara and run an NGO for blood donation there, I did not even know who Dhall is till he joined them to beat me up”.

Dinesh himself joined in the episode and took the victim to the Rama Mandi police station where they reportedly again beaten him up in front of cops.

This was not the end of the episode. Showing several injuries all over his back, the victim, Aakash Bangar, who hails from Phagwara, alleged that he was not even given due treatment by doctors on duty at the Civil Hospital, where he reached around 11:30 pm, at the behest of AAP leaders. He alleged that his supporters had to shift him to a private hospital where he could finally get his MLR done.

Further as this happened, the Jalandhar city police chose not to register any case and instead struck a compromise between the AAP leader’s son and the victim, while he was still admitted to the hospital here. Senior police officials dubbed it as a minor ‘road rage’ incident and said both sides called it a truce.

The compromise was reportedly made even as Congress MLAs, including Bawa Henry and Pargat Singh and District Congress chief Rajinder Beri, met Police Commissioner Kuldeep Chahal seeking an FIR in the case.

BSP leader Balwinder Kumar also reached in support of Bangar. He alleged: “Senior police officials of Jalandhar never miss a chance to take action against Dalit activists or people from weaker sections. Even if they indulge in a small offence like blocking an intersection over infringement of their legitimate rights such as harassment over delay in SC Post-Matric Scholarship, they are picked up and detained. Since bigwigs like the AAP leader and his family were involved in this case of attack, the cops consider it to be a minor offence.”

Later in the evening, Bangar claimed that no compromise had been reached. “While I was in the hospital in a semi-conscious stage, the cops kept coming to me seeking my signatures on various documents. I kept signing the papers and later was told by someone that one paper was about a compromise that I signed. I will file an appeal to take it back. I am in no mood to compromise after such an incident,” he said.

Dhall’s version

Hours after the incident, Dhall went on FB to post a video and put his side. He said: “My son and daughters were going in a car when a man stopped them over the use of hooter. My son said he was not using any hooter and it could be someone from behind. Arguments went on as the man asked him to show his documents. My son counter-questioned him to ask him his authority for checking documents. He replied that he was from the CIA staff. At this, he started manhandling my son and even used pepper spray on my daughters. My son finally called the police and handed him over to them. He also flashed a copy of the MLR that his son got from the Civil Hospital”.