Sanjoy Mistry in hospital. (Swapan Acharya)

Nabadwip, Aug. 22: A 28-year-old youth was allegedly paraded naked with a brick tied to his genitals by a hotel owner in Nadia’s Nabadwip on Sunday night for bathing in his pond.

Bapi Halder also allegedly doused Sanjoy Mistry, a resident of Dhol-Gobindopur in Purbasthali, in alcohol and threatened to set him ablaze.

Sanjoy, a carpenter, has been admitted to the Pratapnagar state general hospital in Nabadwip.

“The patient’s condition is critical. There are deep wounds on his genitals and bruises on other parts of his body. He is under observation,” said P. Mukherjee, the doctor treating him.

District police chief S.R. Mishra said a case had been registered against Halder and seven of his associates for “brutally torturing” Sanjoy, following a complaint by his father Satish.

“They have been charged with attempting to commit culpable homicide, causing grievous hurt using dangerous weapons or means and wrongful restraint. All of them are absconding since Sunday,” Mishra said.

Another officer, however, ruled out caste as the reason for the torture.

Sanjoy today said from his hospital bed that Halder’s men took him to a field and beat him up with bamboo sticks after they found him bathing in the hotel owner’s pond. “ Halder asked me to pull down my trousers and open my shirt and forced me to walk naked after a tying a brick to my genitals.”

Halder, who had been drinking, then doused him in alcohol and threatened to set him on fire, Sanjoy added.

He said he could not muster the courage to lodge a complaint against the 50-year-old Halder “because I was being threatened by him and his men since the torture”.

“But I had to tell villagers when they came in to enquire. Trinamul MLAs from Nabadwip and Purbasthali, Pundarikakshya Saha and Swapan Debnath, encouraged my father who lodged a police complaint.”

Halder said from an undisclosed location that he had been framed by Trinamul Congress activists. “I was framed because I am a Left supporter. Some villagers had beaten up Sanjoy for abusing some women bathing in my pond. I tried to save him,” he said.

Police sources said Halder’s claims were being probed into. “We are probing if Halder has links with anti-socials. Neither he nor his family was found at their Nabadwip home, ” a police officer said.