He alleged the accused had been drinking and were enraged at their sight. On Monday afternoon, Anuj Kumar (21) and his brother-in-law Sanjay (32) were supposed to begin housekeeping work at a residential society in Sector 37. Around 1.30 pm, the two took their photo IDs and left their rented accommodation in Kadipur to meet their contractor at his office in the same area. The opportunity to earn wages soon turned out to be a nightmare.
In an alleged case of mistaken identity, Anuj was allegedly flogged with sticks and rods, succumbing to injuries at Heritage Badminton Academy at Gurgaon Sector 37, police said.
As per Sanjay, the two had nearly reached the gate of the company when they were spotted by a few men in a black SUV. He alleged the accused had been drinking and were enraged at their sight.
“I do not know what was going on in their mind, but when they saw us they kept saying these ‘Biharis’ must be beaten up. They could see that we were migrants, and it made them very angry. They dragged us both inside their cars and began beating us. We were then taken to the Heritage Badminton Academy where we were further assaulted,” recalled Sanjay.
In an FIR filed at Sector 10 police station, the victim said there was a woman in the car who alleged that Anuj and Sanjay had misbehaved with her. The two men were attacked despite them denying this, said the complaint. The FIR was filed against Manjeet, Puneet, Manish and others for alleged assault and intimidation.
“It is completely made up. There was no matter regarding any woman. We had only gone to meet our contractor for work. We are poor people from UP. We did not intend to misbehave with anyone. It was just a pretext to beat us,” said Sanjay.
Gurgaon Police maintained it was a case of mistaken identity. “On Monday, a female player was on her way to the Badminton Academy when two men on a bike allegedly made vulgar signs at her. She called her father, coach and relatives immediately. It appears that the men who came on her behalf thought that Anuj and Sanjay were with the accused and beat them in retaliation. One of the victims passed away due to assault injuries. An accused Binda Prasad has been arrested, while others are being searched for,” said Subhash Boken, PRO Gurgaon Police.
Following the death of his father five months ago, Anuj had come to Kadipur from Jaunpur 15 days ago to look for work. He was the sole earning member of the family and is survived by his mother and two younger brothers.
Sanjay had lost a finger in an accident, due to which several employers turned him away. After weeks of searching, Anuj had found work with his contractor Chandan, who was also allegedly beaten up by the accused.
“I recently had a thigh surgery too. My wife has an ailment, and I have two children to look after. I am still scared since I have received threats. It may be better to leave this place because in this condition no one will give me work. At least our lives will be safe,” said Sanjay.
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