New Delhi: A long-standing dispute over gym ownership turned fatal for a Delhi family when the establishment’s 52-year-old owner and his son were dragged, stripped and beaten in full public view by a group of men in Laxmi Nagar, while his wife was allegedly molested by the accused.
Rajesh Garg and his 26-year-old son, Vasu, were allegedly violently attacked in the basement of their house by Shubham Yadav, Vikas Yadav, Omkar Yadav and Satish Yadav alias Pintu on January 2. So far, Satish has been arrested while others remain at large.
The incident, which took place on January 2, was allegedly a culmination of the months-long harassment Rajesh and his wife Rita, 51, faced from their gym caretaker, Satish Yadav.
Speaking to the media, Rita recounted the incident. “Satish Yadav and his son, Vikas, came in a car and hit the house wall, intending to hit Rajesh with the vehicle.”
While Rita was molested, pulled and thrashed, her husband was punched and beaten ruthlessly. Purported videos of the January 2 incident went viral on social media, capturing part of the torment the family went through.
The police said the assault involved a large group. Omkar, one of the accused who is absconding, was allegedly a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker and had links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
In one of the clips, a group of men can be seen raining blows on Rajesh’s son, dragging him and stripping him on a road as he pleads for mercy.
The accused can be seen repeatedly kicking the man in the face. One of them even used a shoe to assault him, while bystanders watched.
Satish claimed ownership over gym, sitaution escalated after leakage problem
According to the police, Rita Garg alleged that Satish had cheated them and gradually taken over the commercial venture, asserting ownership despite having no legal rights. She told the police that she had hired Satish only as a caretaker and never gave him any ownership rights over the gym.
The complainant said that she possessed all documents related to the gym’s ownership. However, after Satish began asserting control, repeated requests by the family for him to vacate the premises often led to aggressive behaviour, verbal abuse and threats even before the January 2 incident.
The situation escalated sharply when sewage water began leaking into their house due to a connection located in the basement where the gym operates.
“The leakage caused waterlogging and a foul smell throughout the house. Despite repeated phone calls, Satish did not respond. Left with no option, my husband went down to the basement to check the issue,” read the first information report (FIR).
Rita Garg alleged that soon after, Satish arrived at the gym with several associates.
What followed was a violent assault
The attackers allegedly dragged her husband from the gym gate, beat him there and then took him inside the gym, where he was stripped naked and assaulted with an iron rod, she said.
She claimed he was threatened with death, with the assailants allegedly telling him they would “wipe out his entire lineage.” As she tried to intervene and save her husband, Rita Garg alleged that she herself was assaulted.
She alleged that her hair was pulled, her face was struck, and her chest was groped, and that she was kicked and thrown onto the road. In a desperate bid to seek help, Rita ran towards the police station.
It was then, she alleged, that some of the attackers entered her house and started thrashing Vasu.
According to the complaint, Vasu was beaten inside the house, dragged onto the road, stripped and assaulted with shoes.
Rita alleged that her son’s tooth was broken during the attack and that he was repeatedly hit on the head, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. He was also allegedly threatened with death and warned that his face would be disfigured.
The injured family was taken to Dr Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan for medical examination.
According to the medical reports, Rajesh Garg suffered swelling on the left side of his face and is facing difficulty opening his mouth. He also has multiple red-blue contusions on his face and swelling on the left frontal region of his head.
Vasu was found to have multiple bruises on his back and face. Rita had bruises on her right hand and little finger, it added.
After receiving medical treatment, the injured were brought to the police station, where their statements were recorded.
Case registered, CCTV footage being examined
Based on the complaint and preliminary findings, police registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS): 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 329 (criminal trespass), 333 (house-trespass after preparation for causing hurt or assault), 74 (assault), 79 (acts intended to insult woman’s modesty), 351(3) (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (joint liability).
“Satish Yadav has been arrested, while others remain at large. Multiple teams have been formed to trace and nab the remaining accused,” a senior officer told news agency PTI.
The police said they are also examining all viral video clips and closed circuit television (CCTV) footage from the area to reconstruct the exact sequence of events and determine the specific role of each accused.
“The entire matter is being investigated in detail. CCTV footage from the area is being scanned, and multiple teams have been formed to identify and nab the remaining accused,” said the police officer.
The officer said investigating teams are in regular touch with the Garg family to gather more details and understand the background of the dispute, while the arrested accused is being questioned.
(With inputs from PTI)
