In a shocking incident, an Indian Army officer and his team of 16 soldiers were allegedly viciously attacked by workers at a dhaba in Punjab. The Major-ranked officer and several soldiers sustained severe injuries during the altercation, as per reports.
The incident occurred on Monday (March 11) on the Manali-Ropar road in Punjab, where the Alpine Dhaba owner and workers assaulted the soldiers who were returning from a snow marathon victory. Following the incident, the police filed an FIR at Kiratpur Sahib police station and arrested two individuals involved.
Two accused arrested
The two arrested accused have been identified as Rajneesh alias Himanshu from Punjab's Rajpura and Tanay from Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, the dhaba owner and others involved are currently at large. According to the FIR, ultra marathon athlete Major Sachin Singh Kuntal and his troops from the Ladakh Scouts were returning from Palchan near Manali after winning a snow marathon.
The soldiers, en route to Chandimandir, stopped at the Alpine dhaba near Bharatgarh in Ropar district for dinner around 9.15 pm, where an altercation arose between them and the dhaba owner over the mode of payment. The owner insisted on cash payment to avoid taxes despite the soldiers paying the bill online, leading to a heated argument. Subsequently, a group of 30-35 people attacked the officer and his soldiers with lathis, sticks, and iron rods.
FIR registered
According to reports, the accused fled the scene after the Major sustained serious injuries and lost consciousness. He was promptly taken to Civil Hospital Ropar for medical treatment. Meanwhile, a case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including attempt to murder, voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation, rioting while armed with deadly weapons, and unlawful assembly.
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