Dehra Ind MLA ‘beats up’ trucker in road rage case

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 16

Independent MLA from Dehra in Kangra district, Hoshiar Singh, has been booked for allegedly beating up a tanker driver and using casteist slurs against him.

The MLA too has lodged an attempt to murder case against the tanker driver, Sanjeet Kumar of Paisa village in Dehra, alleging he tried to ram his vehicle into his SUV.

Sanjeet alleged that as he was driving home on Tuesday afternoon, the MLA’s speeding white Fortuner approached from the opposite direction near Sunhet on the Dehra-Chintpurni road. He alleged that to avoid a collision, the SUV driver had to move his vehicle to an unmetalled portion on the road.

“An accident was averted, but the SUV driver took an about-turn and following a brief chase on the highway, he parked his vehicle in front of the truck. The MLA and his associates, including Mohit Garg (who identified Sanjeet) and Subhash Chand, pulled me out of the truck, beat me up and used casteist slurs against me,” he complained.

On Sanjeet’s complaint, a case has been registered against the MLA and his associates. On the MLA’s complaint, Sanjeet has been booked for attempt to murder under IPC Section 307.

While Hoshiar Singh did not respond to repeated calls on his mobile phone, Sanjeet has released a video on the social media alleging he was being victimised. “I was beaten up by the MLA and his associates and still a case has been slapped on me. My voice is being muzzled as I belong to a humble background,” he is purportedly heard saying in the video.

Kangra SP Vimukt Ranjan said the police had received complaints from the tanker driver as well as the MLA and an investigation was underway.