Lawyer thrashed with sticks in road rage incident involving black Thar in Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar

New Delhi: An advocate practising in the Delhi High Court was allegedly assaulted and beaten with sticks by five to six men in an apparent road rage incident involving a black Thar and an SUV near northwest Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar, an official said on Sunday.

The incident took place around 8.45 pm on January 25 near a restaurant in the area, adding that the accused are yet to be arrested.

The complainant, 29, a resident of Noida Extension in Uttar Pradesh and practising in the Delhi High Court, told police that the assault followed a brief altercation over the Thar blocking his car in a narrow lane.

"I had gone to Mukherjee Nagar to meet a client and was driving my SUV when a black Thar, bearing a Haryana registration number, stopped abruptly in front of my vehicle at a turn," the FIR read.

He claimed that the Thar completely blocked the passage for his car. After waiting for nearly five minutes, he managed to squeeze his car out from the right side, after which the Thar driver allegedly began hurling abuses at him.

"When I got down from my car and objected to the verbal abuse, the Thar driver threatened to kill me. When I told him that I will call the police, the accused shut his vehicle windows, spoke on the phone and drove a short distance ahead before stopping again and continued to hurl abuses," the complainant told police.

He said by then, a crowd had gathered at the spot, and someone advised him not to engage and instead inform the police. A friend of the complainant had reached the spot by then, and the two were walking back to their car to call the police when the Thar driver allegedly returned with five to six associates.

"All of them were carrying wooden sticks and suddenly attacked us from behind. The attackers repeatedly struck on our heads with sticks, intending to kill us. I tried to defend myself by snatching a stick from one of the assailants, but it broke," the FIR read.

The victim told police that he sustained serious head injuries, began bleeding profusely and felt dizzy, with his vision turning dark. His friend was also assaulted and suffered head injuries. As more people gathered at the spot, the attackers fled, leaving the victims injured on the road.

Police sources said a PCR van reached the spot after a call was made and both injured men were taken to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital for treatment.

A senior police officer said a team was dispatched to the hospital to record victims' statements.

"Our team reached there and tried to record the statement of victims. Due to pain and trauma, the victims were initially unable to give statements at the hospital. But the complainant approached Mukherjee Nagar police station on January 26 and recorded his statement," the officer said.

He further said based on the complaint, an FIR under sections 115(2) (voluntarly causing hurt), 126(2) (wrongful restraint) and 3(5) (common intentions) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered.

"We have formed teams, checking CCTV footage to nab the accused," the officer said, adding that further investigation into the matter is underway.