On Friday afternoon, in Chandigarh, a 20-year-old e-rickshaw driver was assaulted by a Nihang Sikh. The youth was reportedly beaten brutally because he was smoking a beedi outside a langar i.e. communal kitchen adjacent to gate number one of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).
The defendant, Jitender Singh, was serving langar at the time and was a member of a religious procession from the Anandpur Sahib Gurdwara. Witnesses say that Singh tried to threaten the e-rickshaw driver, Sunny Kumar, with his sword when he saw him smoking a beedi under a tree. But as Kumar kept smoking, Singh became enraged and swung the sword at him, hitting him in the head.
Once the driver was brought to Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, swift treatment followed and the head wound was stitched. The quick action of bystanders resulted in arresting Nihang and handing him over to the police. The sword used in the assault was also taken from the spot.
Jitender Singh is facing charges under Section 115(2) (causing injury) and Section 126(2) (wrongful restraint) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. As part of the ongoing investigation, forensic experts have carefully gathered blood samples from the crime scene.
