Gurugram: A Kargil War veteran has alleged that he was brutally attacked with an iron rod by a parking attendant at a commercial complex in Gurugram, leaving him with serious head and elbow injuries.
Group Captain Amit Kumar Gupta (retired), who was part of the Indian Air Force’s Operation Safed Sagar during the 1999 Kargil War, has alleged in a police complaint that the parking attendant also threatened to kill him during the assault at Magnum Global Park.
Gupta was at the Gurugram complex on Thursday night for a family dinner at Gonzo restaurant. According to his complaint, he dropped his family at the venue around 8 p.m. and then went looking for a parking space.
He alleged that he was repeatedly directed between the valet area, basement and multilevel parking before the parking staff eventually refused to park his vehicle.
According to Gupta, the confrontation escalated when he attempted to reverse his car and a parking attendant allegedly struck the windshield, apparently trying to break it.
Speaking to NDTV, Gupta alleged that he stepped out of the vehicle to protest, following which the attendant picked up an iron rod and struck him twice.
“One hit my hand and the other hit my head. I was drenched in blood,” Gupta said as quoted by NDTV.
Gupta further alleged that the attacker issued death threats and that neither security guards nor other parking personnel present at the spot intervened.
He said he called the police helpline but claimed that no police personnel arrived for nearly 30 minutes. According to Gupta, a chef from the restaurant eventually intervened, which he said prevented the situation from becoming more serious.
Gupta was subsequently taken to Medanta Hospital by ambulance with injuries to his head and elbow. He said he underwent surgery in which plates were used to fuse the fractured elbow bone.
“The attack was sudden and unprovoked. I couldn’t even defend myself,” Gupta told NDTV.
The retired Air Force officer has also alleged that the medico-legal case (MLC) report prepared by the hospital was inaccurate and did not record the bleeding from his head or the injury to his elbow.
“I am not getting any support from the police,” he alleged.
In his complaint, Gupta has sought strict action against the alleged attacker and demanded registration of a first information report (FIR) for attempted murder and causing grievous hurt.
Police action or the response of the parking management to the allegations was not immediately available.
Operation Safed Sagar was the Indian Air Force’s air campaign during the 1999 Kargil conflict, aimed at targeting Pakistani forces and infiltrators occupying positions in the high-altitude Kargil sector.
The operation has also recently received renewed attention following the release of a Netflix series in August that pays tribute to the Indian Air Force’s role in the Kargil War.
