Palam Vihar: Stall owner beaten for denying free food, 7 booked

The incident took place between 12.15 am and 12.30 am on Friday near Rezang La Chowk, where Ram Mishra, 38, was attending to customers at his stall.

At least seven suspects were booked for allegedly brutally assaulting a roadside eatery owner and his employee with a brass tea pan in Palam Vihar after he refused to provide free cigarettes, parathas and tea ahead of other customers, police said on Saturday.

Police said one suspect arrived in a Toyota Etios and asked Mishra to fetch cigarettes, parathas and tea.

The incident took place between 12.15 am and 12.30 am on Friday near Rezang La Chowk, where Ram Mishra, 38, was attending to customers at his stall. Police said one suspect arrived in a Toyota Etios and asked Mishra to fetch cigarettes, parathas and tea.

Investigators said Mishra asked the suspect to wait for a few minutes as he was serving two other customers. This reportedly angered the suspect, who threatened Mishra, claiming he was a local and that Mishra would pay for disobeying him, police said.

A senior police officer said Mishra alleged that when the suspect insisted on being served for free, he asked him to pay instead. “Mishra refused and continued serving other customers, after which the suspect made a phone call. Six of his associates then reached the spot in a Mahindra Thar and assaulted the owner without any provocation,” the officer said.

Police said Mishra’s employee, Ganesh Sunar, 33, tried to intervene but was also assaulted and fled the spot.

Mishra alleged that the attackers struck him more than a dozen times with his own tea pan, causing serious head and facial injuries. “The accused kept hitting me until the pan bent. I have partially lost my left eyesight due to bleeding and swelling. They also ransacked my shop,” he said, adding that the suspects followed him to the civil hospital and tried to threaten him.

Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of the Gurugram police, said the identity of the prime accused has been established. “Investigators have his car registration number. He will be arrested soon, followed by the Thar occupants,” he said.

On Mishra’s complaint, an FIR against the suspects under sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 191(2) (rioting), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Palam Vihar police station on Friday.