The team of soldiers was headed for Chandimandir and halted at the Alpine dhaba near Bharatgarh in the Ropar district at around 9.15 pm to have dinner, said the police.
Indian Army: Indian Army, the mere mention of this force fills the hearts of every Indian with pride, respect, and gratitude. Of course, this can never be enough for these heroes in uniform.
But here we are reporting a piece of news that is bound to jolt you.
“An Army Major and his team of 16 jawans were allegedly brutally attacked by the owner and workers of a dhaba on the Manali-Ropar road in Punjab on Monday. The attack resulted in serious injuries to the Major and some jawans. Meanwhile, the police have registered an FIR at the Kiratpur Sahib police station and arrested two of the accused persons,” reports indianexpress.com.
According to the FIR, which was registered in the early hours of Tuesday, the incident took place on Monday when Major Sachin Singh Kuntal and his troops from Ladakh Scouts were returning from Palchan near Manali in Himachal Pradesh after winning a snow marathon held in Lahaul on Monday, as per indianexpress.com.
The team of soldiers was headed for Chandimandir and halted at the Alpine dhaba near Bharatgarh in the Ropar district at around 9.15 pm to have dinner, said the police. The FIR says that an argument broke out between the soldiers and the dhaba owner as he did not accept payment through UPI and insisted on cash payment.
The major and his team made the payment by online mode and this is said to be the trigger point of the brawl that was to follow as the dhaba owner allegedly said that online payment would mean paying tax on this order.
Strangely, the dhaba owner demanded that the major and team pay the amount in cash as well. The major refused and as a result, a group of around 30-35 people pounced on the officer and his jawans and beat them up with lathis, sticks, and iron rods, said the police.
So severe was the assault that the major was left unconscious with injuries to his arms and head, after which the attackers fled from the scene. He was rushed by his team to Civil Hospital Ropar for treatment.
Ropar SSP Gulneet Singh Khurana, while speaking to The Indian Express, said that a case had been registered under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation), 148 (rioting, being armed with a deadly weapon) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Kiratpur Sahib SHO identified the two arrested accused as Rajneesh alias Himanshu, a resident of Rajpura in Punjab, and Tanay, a resident of Uttar Pradesh.
“The dhaba owner is on the run along with several others. We are identifying other accused through CCTV footage,” he said.
Commenting on the incident, Colonel Amit Kumar (Veteran) posted on X: “BRUTAL MOB ATTACK ON INDIAN ARMY ATHLETES AT ALPINE DHABA IN PUNJAB Shocking incident on 11 Mar 24 as an Indian Army ultra marathon team Led by Paratrooper an national ultra marathon athelete Maj sachin Singh kuntal and brave soldiers of Ladakh scouts regiment who were returning victorious after winning the Snow Marathon at Lahul, Himachal Pradesh faced brutality at Alpine Dhaba Bharatgarh near Ropar in Punjab. Despite paying their bill via PhonePe, the owner demanded cash again. When questioned, he unleashed a mob of 30, beating the soldiers mercilessly. 1 officer, 1 JCO, and 3 ORs sustained severe injuries. Despite identifying the culprits, police filed an FIR against unknown persons. This appalling attack on our brave soldiers must be condemned, and justice must prevail. Maj sachin singh kuntal sustained a fracture as he was hit by an Iron rod #IndianArmy #JusticeForSoldiers @CMOPb @PunjabPoliceInd @PunjabGovtIndia @AamAadmiParty @AAPPunjab Police must act on time.”
BRUTAL MOB ATTACK ON INDIAN ARMY ATHLETES AT ALPINE DHABA IN PUNJAB
Shocking incident on 11 Mar 24 as an Indian Army ultra marathon team Led by Paratrooper an national ultra marathon athelete Maj sachin Singh kuntal and brave soldiers of Ladakh scouts regiment who were… pic.twitter.com/URv91FXSCh— Col Amit Kumar 🇮🇳INDIAN COMRADES 🇮🇳 (@ColAmitkumar) March 13, 2024
