A serving brigadier and his son were allegedly assaulted by a group of men in south Delhi’s Vasant Enclave on Saturday night after the army officer objected to their drinking inside a parked Mercedes in the neighbourhood.
The incident came to light on Monday after the Indian Army took cognisance of the matter and issued a statement, asking Delhi police to take immediate action against the perpetrators following allegations that the cops initially refused to register an FIR.
“The authorities in the Indian Army have taken serious cognisance of the case. A military police team has been directed to assist the officer. The Delhi police has been approached for expeditious investigation and to take action on priority,” the army said in a statement.
Sources said the brigadier, who is posted in an NCC unit in Gujarat, recently arrived in the capital to visit his family in Vasant Enclave.
A police officer said an FIR was registered on Monday. “The accused persons are being traced. During a preliminary investigation, a lapse was found on the part of the investigating inspector and a departmental inquiry has been initiated against him,” he said.
According to the statement given to the army and the police, the brigadier said he and his son had stepped out for a walk after dinner at 10.15pm on April 11. He noticed two people drinking in a Mercedes SUV and asked them not to do so in a public place, leading to an altercation. The situation escalated after the two men called seven-eight friends, who arrived in multiple vehicles and launched an attack.
The brigadier’s son suffered serious injuries, while the officer was manhandled and pushed when he tried to intervene.
The officer alleged that a police van arrived on time, but the officers did not take any step. Later, when the victims’ family visited Vasant Vihar police station to report the crime, the cops allegedly refused to register an FIR.
The brigadier was treated at the military hospital and underwent a medical exam at a government hospital the next day.