Punjab police on Saturday night booked 15 persons, including Gidderbaha Truck Operators’ Union president Charanjit Singh Dhillon, for assaulting a journalist of a leading Punjabi daily and vandalising his office at Gidderbaha.
Victim Shivraj Raju, in his complaint, alleged that Dhillon, who is a close aide of local MlA and Indian Youth Congress chief Raja Amarinder Singh Warring, along with 15 others had come to his shop-cum-office near Bharu Chowk at Gidderbaha, where they beat him up and also forced him to drink urine and alcohol and made a video clip.
“I had reported on a family dispute of Charanjit Dhillon which angered him. They had even threatened me over the phone on Friday night. Further, they barged into my office on Saturday afternoon, and punched and slapped me, besides hitting me with shoes…They also forced me to do sit-ups and rub my nose on the floor at gunpoint, and threatened me with dire consequences if I reported the matter to the police,” stated the complaint.
On the basis of the complaint, a case under Sections 323, 342, 355, 427, 506, 148, 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 25, 27, 54, 59 of the Indian Arms Act has been registered at Gidderbaha police station. The accused are, however, on the run.