A former national-level football referee, who is on selection duty for the ongoing Subroto Cup at the Ambedkar Stadium, was allegedly assaulted by a hotel owner in Laxmi Nagar on Friday.
The victim Shyamal Pal (59) alleged that he was assaulted by Ajay Jain, the owner of Hotel Green Palace, at the time of check-out.
“It was around 11 a.m. that I met Mr. Jain while settling my bills at the reception. Three days ago, we had an argument over his objection to me receiving legal documents in connection with a defamation case. This was why I decided to cut short my stay at the hotel. I requested him to hand over the supporting vouchers related to laundry and other services as the money I spend needs to be accounted for. His refusal led to an argument between us,” said Mr. Pal.
The argument turned heated. According to Mr. Pal, the hotel owner landed a punch on his face. “He did not stop there and inflicted repeated blows on me. I fell on the ground and was kicked by Mr. Jain several times even as I pleaded him to stop. Other guests and hotel employees did not intervene to save me,” said Mr. Pal.
The police was informed and a team rushed the injured to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital where he is undergoing treatment. When The Hindu visited the hospital, Mr. Pal had visible injuries on his face with blood oozing out of his lips.
The accused, on the other hand, claimed that it was Mr. Pal who hit him, leading to a fracture on his hand. The police, however, confirmed having received only one complaint, that from Mr. Pal. Based on it, a case of assault and illegal confinement was registered against Mr. Jain.
The victim is also the director of Professional Sports Management Dynamics, an agency working for promotion of sports. He is a resident of Sikkim and along with two others has been entrusted with the responsibility of scouting talent during Subroto Cup, a national level inter-school tournament.
He had checked in at Green Palace Hotel on September 11 and was scheduled to stay there till October 21.
