A resident of Gobra in Topsia has alleged that he and his wife were assaulted by members of a local club after he refused to pay ₹10,000 as a puja subscription. Purported CCTV footage shows a group brutally assaulting a man.
Amit Sarkar said members of Ujjal Sangha had initially demanded ₹4,000 for Durga Puja, which he agreed to pay. On Friday, they allegedly demanded ₹10,000 from his brother. When the demand was refused, a group of men came to their house and attacked them.
CCTV footage released by Sarkar shows several men landing fists and blows on him after he stepped out to speak with them. His wife, who tried to intervene, was also assaulted and can be seen collapsing on the road in the footage.
Sarkar suffered injuries to his forehead and arms and had to be taken to hospital.
“Even my father and brother were attacked. My wife had to wait for hours before she could lodge an FIR at the local police station,” Sarkar said.
Police said a case of assault and outraging the modesty of a woman has been filed at Topsia police station based on the FIR.
A counter-complaint was also lodged by some club members, who alleged that Sarkar had assaulted them earlier while they were removing a banner.
“We are scanning CCTV footage to identify the accused,” said a senior officer.