A BJP councillor from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh was arrested for thrashing a policeman in uniform at his restaurant. The incident happened on Friday when sub-inspector Sukhpal Singh Pawar came to the restaurant accompanied by a female lawyer. An altercation ensued over the delay in service after which the leader Munish Kumar (who is also the owner of the restaurant) intervened. He later assaulted the policeman multiple times. A video of the incident, which was recorded by one of the staff members, has gone viral.
Warning: The video is graphic in nature
#WATCH: BJP Councillor Manish thrashes a Sub-Inspector who came to his (Manish’s) hotel with a lady lawyer and got into an argument with a waiter. The councillor has been arrested. (19.10.18) (Note- Strong Language) pic.twitter.com/aouSxyztSa
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 20, 2018
In the video, the woman is seen brandishing a pistol while mouthing expletives. When one of the staff members snatch her phone, she threw the cutlery, plates and bowls in rage. A heated argument between Kumar and Pawar continued during which the former is seen calling the police on his mobile phone. However, at one point, Kumar lost his temper and repeatedly slapped the policeman who fell down. During the commotion, Kumar is heard addressing the policeman as sharabi (alcoholic).
According to a report by NDTV, the two were later taken to Kankerkhera police station. As the cop was reportedly drunk at the time of the incident, an internal inquiry has been initiated against him.
Meanwhile, a case has been filed against Kumar under Section 395 (punishment for dacoity) and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of Indian Penal Code. He was arrested on Saturday after which his supporters came to protest.
“Munish Kumar has been arrested under non-bailable offences and he will be produced before a court today. His supporters came here to protest, we showed them evidence. They were convinced and went back. The Sub-Inspector shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Probe on,” Meerut SP R Singh told ANI.
However, BJP leader Vijaypal Singh Tomar claimed that the councillor attacked the policeman in an act of self-defence.
“The BJP will not tolerate such hooliganism and allow others to take law into their own hands. This sub-inspector and the woman were drunk. They placed their order and when the food didn’t arrive in 10 minutes, they started arguing and threw plates. I do not endorse such behavior. He (Munish) did it in self-defence. However, he should have complained to the authorities,” he told ANI.
