Himachal: Six arrested for assaulting a taxi driver in Solan district

The incident is a result of a long standing dispute between two rival groups of bus and taxi operators in Kalka over picking up passengers, say police officials

Six persons have been arrested for allegedly assaulting a taxi driver with rods and sticks in Solan district, due to a longstanding rivalry over picking up passengers from Haryana’s Kalka, police said on Saturday.

The accused were identified through CCTV footage, say police.

The accused have been identified as Harshdeep Singh (23), Aman (22), Nikhil Chaurasiya (31), Bharat Bhushan (25) and Yograj alias Pinki Gujjar (35), all residents of Panchkula district in Haryana, and Simranjot (23) from Chandigarh. According to police, information was received on January 7 that a person had been brought to the ESI in Parwanoo in a serious condition.

During the investigation, police found that the victim, Ishan (27), a resident of Kalka in Panchkula district, was assaulted by several persons while he was returning towards Kalka from Kasauli after dropping off some passengers. He was assaulted brutally with rods and sticks, leaving him critically injured. A video of the incident also made rounds on social media platforms, officials said.

A case under Sections 109 (attempt to murder), 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 191 (2) (rioting), 191 (3) (armed with a deadly weapon) and 190 (unlawful assembly) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered and a manhunt was launched to nab the accused.

Officials said police inspected CCTV footage from the spot, along with viral video and other evidence, leading to identification of the accused. The incident was a result of a long standing dispute between two rival groups of bus and taxi operators in Kalka over picking up passengers, they said, adding that cases have already been registered against both the groups at Kalka police station.