Complaint, counter-plaint after road rage leads to assault on woman in Kolkata

KOLKATA: A 37-year-old woman was allegedly assaulted in front of her 12-year-old daughter in an alleged case of road rage near Beliaghata Sales Tax Office around 11.45am on Monday. The main accused, a phlebotomist, has been arrested.
The accused has lodged a counter complaint against the woman, claiming she had slapped him, and that his wife had not been spared either.
"A case and counter case have been registered at Beliaghata police station. After detaining one of the accused, we have arrested him," said an officer.
"An incident of physical assault, along with using invective language (attempt to outrage modesty), was reported at Beliaghata police station. The complainant, a resident of Kabi Sukanta Sarani near Khalpool, alleged she had some inconvenience while getting off a bus as accused Anindya Talukdar (30) stopped his bike right in front of the bus door," an officer said.
After alighting from the bus, the complainant asked the accused to remove his leg from the railing so that she could use the path. "An argument took place over this issue, following which the accused hurled abusive language towards the complainant. When she protested, Talukdar got infuriated and called his wife to come help him. Within minutes, his wife arrived at the spot with some of her associates - both men and women. They reportedly assaulted the complainant with fists and threatened her with dire consequences," said an officer.
"A case under IPC 323, 506, 509 and 114 has been recorded and Talukdar, a resident of Kalitara Bose Lane, was arrested for having direct involvement in the case," said joint CP (Crime) Murlid-har Sharma.
The biker, however, claimed he was slapped first. "It was then, he claimed, that he acted in self-defence," said an officer, adding that the role of a few others in the incident is under investigation.
The probe will also try to ascertain if the accused's wife was indeed assaulted by the victim as mentioned in the complaint, said the officer.
Talking to TOI, the victim's husband said the accused had hit her in the face, injuring her. He also alleged no passer-by intervened. "We are sure the CCTV footage will ascertain the truth," he said.