Sarpanch, two panchs among seven arrested for assaulting, humiliating father-son duo in Rajouri village

Jammu and Kashmir police in Rajouri district have booked and arrested seven persons including Sarpanch, two Panchs and a local contractor for assaulting and humiliating a father-son duo during a panchayat meeting in Sialsui village of Kalakote Tehsil in Rajouri district.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajouri, Chandan Kohli told news agency KNO that a written complaint was received from one Amjed Parvez who complained that his elder brother had verbal duel with a local contractor over the issue of road construction after which a panchayat meeting (about which Police was unaware at that time) was convened by local Sarpanch.

During the meeting, seven persons overpowered the complainant and his father, Mohammad Bashir and assaulted them besides humiliating them in full public view and resorted to derogatory remarks.

SSP said on the basis of this complaint, seven persons have been booked including local contractor Ajay Singh alias Billu, son of Munshi Singh, Sarpanch Mohammad Khan, son of Nabi Baksh, Panch Abdul Rashid, son of Mohammad Din, Panch Makhna son of  Manni,  Ranjit Singh, son of Chattar Singh, Pushpinder Singh, son of Jagdish Singh and Swarn Singh, son of Karnail Singh—all resident of Sialsui village.

He said that a case under FIR number 40/20 under sections 297/341/342/323/504/506/147 /500 IPC has been registered in Kalakote Police Station and a team of police headed by SHO Kalakote Sanjay Raina under the supervision of SDPO Nowshera Zakir Shaheen Mirza have arrested all the seven accused. SSP Rajouri further said that the matter is being investigated in a professional manner.

“There is no space for such acts in the society and action as per law is ensured and people are also requested not to pay heed to rumour mongering,” SSP further said.

Meanwhile, the victim father-son duo said that they were beaten by the accused in full public view.

“Our heads were tonsured, black paint was smeared on our faces and we were made to walk for kilometres together on road for objecting the work being executed by an influential family,” the victims alleged—