Ludhiana restaurant brawl: Victims accuse cops of inaction

A day after Bathinda municipal town planner (MTP) SS Bindra, his son, nephew and two others were booked for attempting to murder an investment adviser and his guests, including a cricketer, after a brawl broke out at a restaurant owned by the family following an argument over the bill, the victims accused the police of inaction

A day after Bathinda municipal town planner (MTP) SS Bindra, his son, nephew and two others were booked for attempting to murder an investment adviser and his guests, including a cricketer, after a brawl broke out at a restaurant owned by the family following an argument over the bill, the victims accused the police of inaction.

The victims said the accused are politically influential and they feel unsafe as long as they are at large. (Getty Images)

“Karan Goel, the cricketer, has suffered a skull fracture after the brawl at Baklavi restaurant, while several other guests suffered serious injuries after SS Bindra; his son Puneet Bindra and nephew Gurkirat Bindra, who are managers at the restaurant and the staff assaulted them with iron rods and bottles. They had also assaulted some elderly people and wielded guns at them,” alleged one Anirudh Garg, an investment adviser, while addressing a press conference on Sunday.

He alleged that the suspects are trying to coerce them into withdrawing their complaint and police are also not taking action against them as they are facing pressure from Bindra and his family.

Garg added that their cars are still parked at the restaurant but the police have put no effort into recovering them despite several requests.

Garg added that police had lodged an FIR after receiving medical reports of the injured, but have made efforts to take the suspects into custody after that.

“The accused are politically influential and as long as they are at large, we feel unsafe as they have been threatening us with dire consequences,” he added.

The owners of Baklavi restaurant had called a press conference on Sunday, but later they cancelled it. Manmeet Singh Bindra, co-owner of the restaurant, posted on his Facebook account that the guests were drunk and had started misbehaving with the staff.

He alleged that when he tried to intervene, the guests started abusing him and also threw crockery at him and the staff members.

Police commissioner Kaustubh Sharma said appropriate action in the case will be taken.