Noida: A woman guard was seen being pulled by her hair by a woman resident.
A row between two groups of residents at a Noida apartment building last night regressed into a virtual free-for-all with noisy fistfights and hair-pulling caught in a viral video.
The fight started at the Hyde Park Society in Sector 78 over a residents' body election. Within moments, it escalated after security guards were accused of manipulating the elections and helping one of the groups. The brawl ended when the police arrived.
A woman resident is seen pulling a woman guard by her hair and slapping at least two other guards in videos that are being widely shared. Two women residents claimed they were injured after being assaulted by the guards.
Some guards were seen waving sticks and warning residents, but the clash continued, a video showed.
"The guards came all of a sudden and started beating us with sticks. We had gathered here for the general body meeting, but they switched off the lights to prevent us from holding the meeting. Then they took out rods from the fencing and attacked us," said a woman resident, showing her injured hand.
Another woman was seen with a swollen hand as a resident could be heard saying, "Won't allow gundagardi by guards in Hyde Park."
The police reached the spot and brought the situation under control, neighbours said. On the complaints by the women, two guards were taken into custody.
The rival groups, led by the residents Pushpendra and Dinesh Negi, have been squabbling for some time and the police had investigated it in the past, said police officer Sharad Kant Sharma.
Yesterday, violence erupted when Pushpendra's team accused the security guards of the apartment complex of trying to help his rival Dinesh Negi.
The police are scouring security camera footage from the complex to identify the accused. A case will be registered after initial investigation is over, said police.
This marks yet another episode of guards and residents getting into a physical fight in the city in the past few days.
Earlier this month, a food delivery person and a security guard fought over entry into an apartment complex in Noida. In another instance, a resident and a guard were arrested for fighting over a dog in the complex.