Ludhiana: Man assaulted in civil hospital over kite flying dispute

The incident, which occurred despite the presence of police personnel, has raised questions about security arrangements at the hospital

The civil hospital here witnessed chaotic scenes on Tuesday night after a group of assailants assaulted a man in the emergency ward, leaving him injured following a dispute over kite flying.

A video of the altercation has since surfaced on social media. (HT Photo)

The incident, which occurred despite the presence of police personnel, has raised questions about security arrangements at the hospital. A video of the altercation has since surfaced on social media.

According to the video, a youth who had come to the emergency ward for medical treatment was confronted by two young men. The attackers were seen hurling abuses before one of them slapped the victim and forcibly dragged him into another room. Holding him by hair, the assailant allegedly beat him up while hospital attendants made unsuccessful attempts to intervene.

The injured man, identified as Gurmeet Singh of Meharban village, said the dispute stemmed from a kite-flying incident earlier in the day. He alleged that a man named Gagu along with his aides attacked his nephew Gurpreet Singh and pelted stones at them following a dispute over kite flying on Lohri. Gurmeet said the accused assaulted him with a sharp-edged weapon when he tried to resolve the matter amicably. He later came to the civil hospital for treatment, where the attackers followed him and assaulted him inside the emergency ward, allegedly in full view of the police.

Responding to the incident, assistant sub-inspector Bhupinder Singh from the civil hospital police post said they received information that two groups involved in a altercation had reached the hospital and clashed again. He said no formal complaint was received as the issue was settled by both parties immediately after the brawl.