When the youths raised objection, the two groups had a bitter exchange of words which soon turned into an ugly fight. (Representational Image) When the youths raised objection, the two groups had a bitter exchange of words which soon turned into an ugly fight. (Representational Image) Four youths, including nephew of a former Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MLA from Modinagar, were allegedly beaten up by employees and other customers of a restaurant when they raised objection to consumption of alcohol in the eatery at Dehli-Dehradoon highway in Meerut late Friday evening. “We have arrested three employees of the restaurant in this connection. They have been identified as Tariq, Anwar and Ashraf. They are all in their 20s. Three staff have also been detained,” Dinesh Sharma, the acting in charge of the Kankarkheda police station, said. “Shubham Bhardwaj (28), the nephew of former RLD legislator Sudesh Sharma, and his friends have received grievous injuries in the attack and have been admitted to a Meerut hospital. Both the parties have lodged FIRs. The case is being investigated but prima facie it appears that Bhardwaj and his friends are not guilty. We will make more arrests in this case when our investigation is complete,” Sharma added. According to the complaint lodged by Bhardwaj, he and his friends – Rahul Sharma (26), Rahul Singh (23) and Prashant (23) – were having dinner at the restaurant when they saw four other men drinking alcohol. When the youths raised objection, the two groups had a bitter exchange of words which soon turned into an ugly fight. Bhardwaj alleged that the employees of the restaurant, too, sided with the other group and attacked them, police said. The employees allegedly tied the four youths to four chairs, snatched Bhardwaj’s licensed pistol and fired three rounds in the air, police said. The restaurant staff, meanwhile, called up the police alleging that Bhardwaj and his friends were terrorising other customers and firing bullets, the police added. “Based on the complaint filed by the restaurant employees, Kankarkheda police initially took Bhardwaj and his friends into custody, but by that time he had informed his uncle (the former RLD MLA) who reached the police station along with his supporters and staged a sit in demanding immediate arrest of the staff and also the other group who attacked his nephew,” police said. “We are yet to identify the four customers who were drinking alcohol and allegedly started the fight. Search is on to nab them,” Sharma said. For all the latest Lucknow News, download Indian Express App

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