New Year eve murder in Himachal Pradesh: Manager killed, staff injured; 2 cops arrested

The incident took place at Hotel Nature Valley in Banikhet in Chamba district around 1.30am and the deceased has been identified as the general manager of the hotel, Rajendra Malhotra.

The general manager of a hotel was killed and another staff sustained grievous injuries in a brawl involving two policemen at Banikhet near Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday, a senior police officer said, adding the accused constables have been suspended and arrested for murder.

Representational image.

The incident took place at Hotel Nature Valley in Banikhet in Chamba district around 1.30am and the deceased has been identified as the general manager of the hotel, Rajendra Malhotra, a resident of Dalhousie Cantonment.

After the two police constables, Anoop Kumar and Amit Kumar, arrived at the hotel late in the night, they got into an argument with hotel’s front office employee Sachin Kumar. Soon the matter escalated into a full-blown brawl, following which the general manager intervened, police said.

During the clash, however, the GM, hotel staff and one of the constables fell from a height into the hotel’s parking area, resulting in severe injuries to the former two. They were rushed to a private hospital in Banikhet, where Malhotra succumbed to his injuries while Sachin Kumar, a resident of Bagdhar village, was referred to a larger hospital in Pathankot for treatment, police said.

The constables fled the spot after the incident, which triggered massive protest by local residents. Local villagers blocked the main road for two hours demanding action against the accused and transfer of the entire staff at the Baniket police post, accusing them of trying to protect the accused.

Later, Chamba superintendent of police Abhishek Yadav, additional SP Shivani Mehla and Dalhousie DSP Hemant Thakur visited the spot and pacified the protesters.

Both the constables, posted at Teesa in the district, were deployed at Dalhousie for New Year’s security arrangement, Chamba SP Yadav said.

“After finishing their duty at around 1 am, the constables went to have dinner at Nature Valley Hotel, Banikhet. During this, police constable Anoop had an argument with hotel employee Sachin and matter escalated,” Yadav told reporters.

Both constables have been arrested and a case of murder and assault, among other charges, under relevant sections of the BNS has been registered, the senior officer said.

Both constables have also been suspended from duty. “The possibility of the policemen being drunk cannot be ruled out,” Yadav said.

A forensic team from Nurpur was deployed to the spot to gather evidence, the officer said, adding CCTV footage from the hotel is being reviewed as part of the investigation.

A thorough probe is being conducted to determine the exact sequence of events, the SP said. “It is being examined whether the officers were invited to the hotel or arrived uninvited.”

Meanwhile, family members of the deceased GM refused to accept the body, seeking justice for him.

“The entire incident has been captured on the hotel’s CCTV cameras. Though the physical scuffle is not visible, loud noises can be heard in the footage. We will not cremate the body until justice is served,” a relative of the deceased said, declining to be named.

Protesters also alleged that the constables were singing and dancing before they got into an argument with the front desk employee.