New Delhi:
Two people, including a motorcyclist, have been arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with the assault on a Pakistani diplomat after an accident in New Delhi. They have been charged under Section 279 (rash and negligent driving) and Section 336 (act of endangering life).
The diplomat, Zargham Raza, had alleged that a group of 10-15 people slapped him after the accident on Monday evening. Pakistan had lodged a complaint with India over the incident.
According to Delhi Police, the car of Mr Raza, the First Secretary of Pakistan's High Commission, hit a motorcycle in Ber Sarai near the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in South Delhi and the pillion rider, a woman, fell down and sustained bruises.
A scuffle ensued, and Mr Raza's driver got minor injuries, the police said. The diplomat got out and tried to separate the warring parties and that's when he got pushed around by several men, they added.
The relative of the girl who was injured said Mr Raza's driver was drunk. "My sister-in-law was sitting on the motorcycle and my son was driving it. As he drove the car past the bike, the driver stopped the car and pulled my sister-in-law from the bike. She is hurt. The driver was drunk. The owner of the car tried to stop him, but he was getting mad. He (the owner) even said it was the driver's fault. Please don't fight.
The cops later took Mr Raza away to a police station to prevent the crowd from manhandling him. They later questioned Mr Raza's driver.
Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), however, told NDTV that there were no damages and no one was hurt, but the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi claims that the diplomat was chased and beaten up by 10-15 people.
"Our First Secretary and his driver both of whom sustained serious injuries have been provided medical treatment and an FIR has also been lodged," Aizaz Ahmed, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman told NDTV.