Parking row triggers violent assault at cold drink warehouse

Lucknow: A group of armed men allegedly barged into a cold drink warehouse and assaulted employees with sticks and rods following a dispute over vehicle parking in the Market Yard locality of Bazaar Khala area on Friday, police said.The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras.Rahul Kumar, a resident of Railway Colony in Aishbagh and an employee at the warehouse, lodged a complaint alleging that he was inside the godown with his friends Shubham Singh and Asif Khan when the prime accused, Sonu, arrived with six to ten unidentified persons.The group allegedly began abusing the workers and, when objected to, launched a violent attack using sticks and rods. Witnesses said the assailants chased employees across the premises and repeatedly assaulted them.Shubham sustained serious injuries to his head and leg, while Asif suffered a fracture in his hand, police said.Before fleeing, the accused allegedly threatened the workers with dire consequences.Police said preliminary investigation suggests the attack stemmed from a minor altercation over a vehicle parked outside the warehouse. The dispute escalated, after which the accused reportedly returned with reinforcements.“The attackers can clearly be seen beating employees inside the warehouse. The footage is being examined to identify those involved,” a police official said, adding that a case has been registered and efforts are on to trace the accused.