"Pranaam Nahi Kiya?": Jharkhand Congress Leader's Son Allegedly Attacks Teen

A Congress leader's son was allegedly caught on camera assaulting a teen boy in Jharkhand's Dhanbad region for not offering him 'pranaam', or a salute. In a disturbing video, Ranveer Singh - whose father is Congress leader Ranvijay Singh - and his bodyguards allegedly kicked the 17-year-old boy and attacked him with the butt of a pistol and sticks before briefly kidnapping him.

The boy - whose father has filed a police case against Ranveer Singh and his associates - has claimed he was beaten while in the car and that his father was threatened.

What Does Video Show?

In the nearly two-minute long video, at least five people - including a man in a white kurta - can be seen shouting abuses and assaulting someone; the victim's face cannot be seen. What is clear is the shocking language - one man can be heard repeating "Why didn't you salute me, (expletive)?"

In the same video the boy - Akash Chandel a Class XI student of Delhi Public School - said he had finished a tuition class and was standing outside a shopping complex in the town's Koyla Nagar area.

"We (Mr Chandel and his friends) were just waiting there when six-seven cars, Ranveer Singh's cars, drove up. The car number was 0027. 20-25 people came out and grabbed me, asking, 'Why don't you do pranaam?' I refused and then they started beating me... they said 'we feel like beating you'."

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Mr Chandel claimed the men then forced him into one of cars and took him to a nearby tea shop, where they continued to beat him. "At the tea shop one of the bodyguards grabbed me and forced me to fall at Ranveer Singh's feet. Then they took my phone and called my father to threaten him."

Congress Leader's Response

Meanwhile, Ranveer Singh's father has disavowed all connection between his son and the horrific attack, calling it a "conspiracy to defame my growing political stature". Mr Singh also pointed out his son cannot be identified in the video and that the video needs to be investigated by forensic scientists.

"First I want to question authenticity of this video... I have been told of it but let me tell you, you cannot see, from any angle, that this is my son. I have investigated on my own... but there also needs to be a forensic inquiry into the video... it may have been edited," Ranvijay Singh told reporters.

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On the accusations against his son, the Congress leader said, "Anyone can accuse anyone else... there are accusations against me also. But this needs to be investigated to see what happens. I am not worried by incidents like this and will continue doing my work... this looks like a fight between boys.