Panchkula: Youth attacked for ‘complaining against illegal mining’, two held

Police have arrested two men for attacking a 25-year-old youth with sharp-edged weapons and rods, and threatening him with a gun after accusing him of ratting on them for illegal sand mining in Rampur village.

The accused, Harsimran and Kala, were arrested on Sunday, while their three aides remain at large.

The victim, Happy, a resident of Rampur village, was returning from Toda village around 11 pm at Friday, when a Maruti Suzuki Swift car, with a temporary number, waylaid him.

Harsimran of Nabipur village, Ambala, was driving the car. Accusing him of alerting authorities about illegal sand mining by him, he said he will teach him a lesson and pointed a gun to his head. After this, Kala and three more men got out of the car and started thrashing him with sharp-edged weapons and iron rods. They threatened him with dire consequences before fleeing the scene.

The victim was rushed to the Community Health Centre in Raipur Rani, from where he was referred to the civil hospital in Sector 6, Panchkula, where he remains under treatment.

Following a complaint by Happy, police on Saturday booked the accused under Sections 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, and relevant sections of the Arms Act, and arrested two of the accused on Sunday.

Officials privy to the matter said the duo will be presented in court on Monday for remand to arrest the remaining attackers.