A 29-year-old driver died after he was allegedly beaten by bouncers and staff at a nightclub in northwest Delhi over the weekend, in a quarrel that police sources say began when beer was spilled on a woman. The man, identified as Daljeet, lived in Raghuvir Nagar and is survived by his wife, his eight-year-old son and his father.
The club, Tor House on New Rohtak Road, falls under the Sarai Rohilla police station. Delhi Police said an FIR has been registered and that the accused have been arrested. At least five people, including the club’s owner, are in custody, according to police.
What police say happened
According to police sources, Daljeet had gone to the club with a group of friends. When one of them spilled beer on a woman, an argument broke out, and the club’s bouncers allegedly set upon Daljeet and his companions. The group apologised, the sources said, but the beating did not stop.
Waiters then allegedly joined in, hitting the men with sticks and glass bottles. When the friends tried to get away, the attackers are said to have dragged them back inside and beaten them again. Daljeet suffered the worst injuries. Two of his friends were also hurt, according to a report in a Hindi daily.
His friends took him home to Raghuvir Nagar, where he collapsed near the entrance. He was then taken to Guru Gobind Singh Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Differing accounts of the trigger
Accounts of how the row started are not identical. Friends and relatives who were with Daljeet have said the beer spilled accidentally on a woman who had come with the club’s owner. A friend who was present told reporters there was “a slight bump” that caused the spill, and that the situation turned violent within moments. One Hindi report, citing police, said the dispute involved the wife of the bar’s manager, who was holding a birthday party at the venue that night. Investigators are expected to settle the sequence of events from the footage.
The investigation so far
Police have seized the club’s CCTV digital video recorder and are going through the footage to work out the role played by each of the accused and to identify anyone else involved. The club has been sealed, and the in-charge of the local police post has been sent to police lines, according to the Hindi report. The case was registered on a complaint from Daljeet’s wife.
Why it matters
The case has drawn attention because of how ordinary the trigger was: a spilled drink that, according to police sources, turned into a sustained assault by the very staff responsible for keeping order inside the venue. It also raises questions for the local police, since the in-charge of the area’s police post has been moved out while the case is investigated.
Police have said they are still working to identify everyone involved, so more arrests are possible once the CCTV footage has been fully examined.
