Seven people including a sarpanch and two panchs allegedly assaulted a father-son duo after a verbal duel during a panchayat meeting in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district prompting police to arrest them on Wednesday, officials said. A written complaint was received from one Amjed Parvez alleging that his elder brother had a verbal duel with a local contractor over the issue of road construction after a panchayat meeting, Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri, Chandan Kohli said. “During the meeting, seven people overpowered Parvez and his father Mohammad Bashir and assaulted them besides humiliating them in full public view and resorting to derogatory acts,” he said. On the basis of this complaint seven people have been booked by police who include local contractor Ajay Singh alias Billu, Sarpanch Mohammad Khan, Panch Abdul Rashid, Panch Makhna, Ranjit Singh, Pushpinder Singh and Swarn Singh, all residents of Sialsui area, the SSP said. Kohli said a case has been registered in Kalakote police station and a police team headed by SHO, Kalakote, Sanjay Raina under the supervision of SDPO, Nowshera, Zakir Shaheen Mirza have arrested all the seven accused. The SSP further said the matter is being investigated in a professional manner. “There is no space for such acts in society and action as per law of the land is ensured and people are also requested not to pay heed to rumour mongering,” the SSP further said.
