Video: Slaps, Punches And Torn Shirts, UP Shopkeepers' Fight Is Viral

A violent clash broke out between traders in Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh, over the placement of goods outside a shop. The confrontation, near Bhole Mandir in the Auraiya Sadar Kotwali area, escalated with the shopkeepers even picking sticks to beat each other in the middle of the road. The incident was captured on video, which soon went viral on social media. The police have launched an investigation.

The video, obtained by NDTV, shows a chaotic scene as two men roll on the ground in the middle of a busy road, furiously beating each other while a dog barks wildly at them. Two other men join the mayhem, tearing each other's shirts. Despite bystanders' intervention, the men continued to land slaps at each other, even as they were pulled apart. 

Alok Kumar Mishra, the Additional Police Superintendent of Auraiya, explained the sequence of events to NDTV. He said, “The entire incident occurred when Anil Kumar and his neighbours – Pawan Kumar, Sunny, and Lucky – had an argument about placing goods outside a shop. This disagreement soon turned into a violent physical fight, with both parties wielding sticks. The altercation spilt onto the road, where the traders were seen beating each other while lying on the ground.”

Anil Kumar filed a complaint. A case has been registered against three individuals – Pawan Kumar, Sunny, and Lucky – under section 170 of the BNS (Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha). As for Lucky, who is a minor, legal action will be taken as per juvenile law, Mr Mishra said.

This brings to mind a similar fight between UP shopkeepers back in 2021. Three years ago, an intense brawl broke out between chaat sellers in UP's Baghpat, which eventually led to the arrest of eight people. The fight, lasting nearly 20 minutes, erupted over a seemingly trivial matter: attracting customers to their stalls. The spectacle escalated, with two of the sellers exchanging blows in the middle of the busy market. 

One of the standout moments of the fight was a chaat seller, who the internet later named "Chaat Chacha." Dressed in a kurta and with long mehendi-coloured hair, he was seen pinning down his rival during the tussle. After the fight, he became famous when his photo under detention went viral.

In the image, he appeared to be winking, but it was later speculated that his eye might have been swollen shut from the fight.