UP BJP leader thrashed by brother, nephews as he resisted wife's harassment

A BJP leader in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi suffered multiple fractures after his elder brother, nephews and other family members brutally assaulted him for opposing their alleged inappropriate behaviour towards his wife, according to a police complaint. The attack, which was captured on CCTV, has left the victim, Dharmendra Kumar Verma, in critical condition at Jhansi Medical College.

According to the complaint filed by Dharmendra's wife, Sulekha Verma, her brother-in-law Rajendra Kumar Verma, his sons Vikas alias Vicky, Harishchandra alias Kannu, Adarsh alias Ninni, and Rajendra's wife Manju Devi had allegedly been harassing the family for a long time. She alleged that while her husband was away for labour work, the accused used to make obscene advances and sexually harass her.

Sulekha alleged that the accused again molested her on June 9. Although she lodged a complaint at the local police outpost, she claimed no concrete action was taken. She further alleged that on June 20, the accused arrived at their house armed with sharp weapons and threatened that they would leave the family "unable to show their faces." After she filed a complaint with senior officials on June 22, the accused allegedly planned to retaliate.

According to the complaint, the accused carried out the attack on the morning of June 24 while Sulekha had gone out to collect ration supplies. They allegedly entered the house armed with iron rods, sticks and a vehicle silencer and assaulted Dharmendra, who was alone at home. The attackers allegedly targeted his head and legs repeatedly, leaving both his legs severely fractured. He also sustained fractures at five places on his body and suffered a serious head injury that required 10 stitches.

CCTV footage of the incident has also surfaced. The video purportedly shows the accused surrounding Dharmendra near a motorcycle parked outside the house and beating him mercilessly. Even after he collapsed on the ground, the attackers allegedly continued striking his legs and body. The footage also reportedly shows the accused pushing away an elderly woman and other family members who tried to intervene and rescue him.

Dharmendra's associate and BJP functionary Amit Pathak said the victim is an active worker associated with the party's Scheduled Caste and Other Backward Class cell and had previously served as the ward president. He demanded the immediate arrest of all the accused and strict legal action against them.

After receiving information about the incident, the UP police reached the spot and shifted the critically injured Dharmendra to Jhansi Medical College by ambulance.

Based on Sulekha's complaint, Kotwali police registered a case under serious charges against Rajendra Kumar Verma, Vikas alias Vicky, Harishchandra alias Kannu, Adarsh alias Ninni and Manju Devi and launched an investigation. Police said they are conducting raids to arrest the accused based on the CCTV footage and other evidence. However, the victim's family alleged that the police response has not been as swift as expected.

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