Laxmi Nagar assault: New clip shows SUV crashing into house; accused Omkar Yadav claims self-defence in viral video

NEW DELHI: Another CCTV clip related to the Laxmi Nagar assault has surfaced, showing a group of men arriving first, opening a gate and assaulting a man. Moments later, a Thar SUV was seen speeding towards the house and crashing into the wall, after which several men got out of it and the assault continued. Meanwhile, accused Omkar Yadav has released a video on social media defending his brother, gym caretaker and key accused Satish Yadav alias Pintu Yadav.

A dispute over a gym operating from a residential property in east Delhi's Laxmi Nagar allegedly escalated into the assault recently when the man was beaten up, his wife was said to be molested, and their son was stripped and assaulted on the street.

The man runs a gym from the basement of his house and caretaker Yadav allegedly cheated him and attempted to take over the business, leading to the dispute. On Jan 2, during an argument over a basement- and sewage-related issue, Yadav, along with his associates, assaulted the couple and their son, a senior officer said.

An earlier CCTV footage had shown the couple's son being dragged onto the road, stripped and beaten up by a group of four-five men. The presence of police personnel in parts of the footage also raised questions. Police claimed the assault stopped after they arrived while the victims alleged that they were beaten up in full view of the cops, a claim that is being verified. According to the complaint, the couple's son came out after hearing the commotion and was assaulted. The couple also said their two sons had left the house following the attack.

Police said main accused Yadav was arrested while the other accused were absconding. Omkar, one of the absconding accused, posted a video on social media, saying his brother had been working with the complainant for "20-25 years" and was running the gym for the past "12-13 years". He questioned why objections over the gym were raised only in the past five-six months. "If we captured the land, why did she start complaining only now?" he asked.
Omkar further alleged that the legal proceedings were "one-sided" and claimed that he was also being targeted. He identified himself as a worker of a party and alleged that he was being defamed by an opposition party.

Referring to the incident, Omkar said, "On Jan 2, I got a call from my brother. I reached the spot after 10-15 minutes. If I am seen kicking two or three times in the video, it was in self-defence. They started hitting first."

A case has been registered at the Laxmi Nagar police station under various provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint, criminal trespass, assault or use of criminal force to outrage the modesty of a woman, acts intended to insult a woman's modesty and criminal intimidation.