Amidst the so-called Mohabbat ki Dukan of Congress, a minor was thrashed for not bowing down and touching the feet of a Congress leader’s son in Jharkhand. The video of the incident went viral on social media on August 29, which was recorded from the Dhanbad area.
In the disturbing video, Ranveer Singh, whose father is Congress leader Ranvijay Singh and his bodyguards kicked the 17-year-old boy and attacked him with the butt of a pistol and sticks before briefly kidnapping him. They were irked over the fact that he did not do “Pranam” to the leader’s son. “Pranam kahe nai kiye (Why didn’t you greet me)” the Congress leader’s son can be heard saying in the video.
#Dhanbad, Jharkhand:
Ranveer, son of Congress leader Ranvijay Singh, subjected a student to a brutal assault, using a pistol's butt, simply because the student didn't touch his feet.
Following significant public pressure, an FIR has now been lodged.
Video : Utkarshsingh_ pic.twitter.com/eUzd4rShmb
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) August 29, 2023
The minor’s father lodged a police complaint and alleged harassment even in the car. He stated that not only his son but he was also threatened by the perpetrators.
What’s in the viral video
In the nearly two-minute long video, at least five people – including a man in a white kurta – can be seen shouting abuses and assaulting someone; the victim’s face cannot be seen. What is clear is the shocking language – one man can be heard repeating “Why didn’t you greet me?”
In the same video the boy, Akash Chandel a Class 11 student of Delhi Public School said he had finished a tuition class and was standing outside a shopping complex in the town’s Koyla Nagar area.
“We (Chandel and his friends) were just waiting there when six-seven cars, Ranveer Singh’s cars, drove up. The car number was 0027. 20-25 people came out and grabbed me, asking, ‘Why don’t you do pranaam?’ I refused and then they started beating me… they said ‘we feel like beating you’.”
Chandel claimed the men then forced him into one of cars and took him to a nearby tea shop, where they continued to beat him. “At the tea shop one of the bodyguards grabbed me and forced me to fall at Ranveer Singh’s feet. Then they took my phone and called my father to threaten him.”
FIR against Congress leader’s son
An FIR has been registered against the Congress leader’s son and three others in connection with the incident.
The police action in this case is still awaited.
The Dhanbad’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sanjiv Kumar said that no one is above the law. An FIR has been filed and a thorough investigation is underway, he said.
What did the Congress leader say?
Ranveer Singh’s father has disavowed all connection between his son and the horrific attack, calling it a “conspiracy to defame my growing political stature”. Mr Singh also pointed out his son cannot be identified in the video and that the video needs to be investigated by forensic scientists.
“First I want to question the authenticity of this video… I have been told of it but let me tell you, you cannot see, from any angle, that this is my son. I have investigated on my own… but there also needs to be a forensic inquiry into the video… it may have been edited,” Ranvijay Singh told reporters.
On the accusations against his son, the Congress leader said, “Anyone can accuse anyone else… there are accusations against me also. But this needs to be investigated to see what happens. I am not worried by incidents like this and will continue doing my work… this looks like a fight between boys.
