Serving Indian Army officer held hostage, assaulted by lawyers in Haryana court
Chandigarh: A serving Indian Army Lieutenant Colonel was allegedly taken hostage and assaulted by a group of lawyers inside the Panchkula District Courts complex in Haryana, raising serious concerns over law and order and the safety of individuals even within court premises.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Lieutenant Colonel Ashish Chandok, posted at the Chandimandir Military Station in Panchkula, alleged that he was physically assaulted, forcibly confined inside a lawyer’s chamber and coerced into signing a settlement agreement during proceedings related to three family dispute cases filed by his estranged wife, which have been pending before the Panchkula district court for the past year.
In his complaint to police, Lt Col Chandok said that after a hearing in the Family Court, advocate Maninder Singh Bitta and several other lawyers misbehaved with him, assaulted him outside the courtroom and later forcigly took him to another lawyer’s chamber. There, he claimed, he was held against his will and threatened with further violence unless he signed a Raazinama (settlement agreement).
The officer told police that he was forced to sign the document without being allowed to read its contents and was released only after complying with the lawyers’ demands.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation. Station House Officer Rajbir Yadav said efforts were underway to obtain CCTV footage and medical opinion, adding that no arrests had been made so far.
