2 accused arrested days after Brigadier, his son assaulted in Delhi's Vasant Enclave

Brigadier Parminder Singh Arora had opposed to the two men drinking inside a Mercedes-Benz parked outside his house around 10 pm on Saturday.

Three days after a brigadier and his son were allegedly assaulted by a group of men outside their residence in southwest Delhi’s Vasant Enclave in the presence of a police officer for objecting to two of their associates for drinking inside a luxury car, Delhi Police finally arrested two accused on Tuesday after they surrendered.

Police identified the accused as Satender Siwach, alias Sonu, 49, and Sanjay Sharma, 56, both residents of Mehram Nagar. (Representational/Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Deputy commissioner of police (south west) Amit Goel identified the accused as Satender Siwach, alias Sonu, 49, and Sanjay Sharma, 56, both residents of Mehram Nagar. While Siwach is director of Choudhary Aviation Pvt Ltd, which provides chartered and cargo flights services, Sharma runs a dhaba in the same neighbourhood. The company was founded by Siwach’s father, Banwari Lal.

Earlier on Tuesday, Delhi LG Taranjit Singh Sandhu said he was “deeply concerned by the incident” and that he had spoken to the brigadier to “enquire about the incident and their well-being”.

“I also spoke with the police commissioner and the DCP, directing them to ensure a thorough and swift investigation, leading to immediate and appropriate action against those responsible. I have further directed the Delhi police to provide full security to the officer and his family,” he said in a post on X.

Hours after his post, police announced the arrests.

According to the version of events shared with HT by Brigadier Parminder Singh Arora, he found the two drinking inside a Mercedes-Benz parked outside his house around 10 pm on Saturday. When he objected, the men dismissed him, and, so, he called the police.

However, when the PCR arrived, the officer said he could not take action and instead sat in the car to speak to the men. In the meantime, seven or eight individuals arrived and assaulted his 23-year-old son and the brigadier. The brigadier’s wife, who tried to intervene, was allegedly verbally abused and manhandled.

According to the DCP, the accused had been ”on the run” after the incident and were not present at their residence when police visited on Monday. However, they walked into the station on Tuesday afternoon.

The vehicle, owned by Siwach, has also been seized.

Arora refused to comment on the matter after the arrests were made.

The accused could not be reached for a comment when HT tried to contact the numbers available on the official website of Choudhary Aviation Private Limited.

The DCP said the accused were being examined. During questioning, the accused reportedly told police that they randomly selected the location in Vasant Enclave to park their car and drink. “They are evasive in their answers but, so far, it appears that they had not come to meet anyone there and just decided to park the car in that street on a whim,” the officer said.

Choudhary Aviation Facilities Private Limited, based in Mehram Nagar near Delhi’s IGI Airport, is a private aviation services provider catering to both commercial and business clients in India and abroad. According to its website, the company offers a range of services including private jet and helicopter charters, group aircraft charters, and cargo aircraft operations, along with specialised services such as air ambulance, aircraft sales and leasing, spare parts supply, flight clearances, technical support, and maintenance and legal assistance. The firm operates across multiple cities globally. Its clientele includes a mix of government bodies and institutions such as Indian Railways, BSF, and Air India, as well as corporate and individual customers seeking charter and logistics services.

Arora had told HT on Monday that during the attack the policeman did nothing to stop the assault and later, when the family went to the police station, their complaint was not immediately registered.

The Army, in a statement on Monday, said that a Military Police team has been directed to assist the officer and that the Delhi Police had been approached for expeditious investigation.

The FIR was only registered on Monday afternoon after a video of the two accused sitting in the car with a bottle of alcohol began circulating on social media.

The FIR included sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 79 (outraging modesty of a woman), 191(2) (rioting), and 190 (unlawful assembly) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered on Monday afternoon. Disciplinary action was also taken against an inspector after “lapses” were found in his conduct.

However, the army officer further said, despite being provided multiple leads, including details of the vehicle involved, the police could not immediately identify the suspects.