Viral video: Tourist beaten in Manali, 4-month-old baby hurt in shocking daylight brawl with locals

Mint

7 hours ago

A Haryana family alleged that their serene trip to the hills of Manali was turned sour after a group of local men attacked them in broad daylight.
The family claimed that they had an argument with locals in the area, which soon escalated into a violent scuffle, leaving one person from the tourist group badly injured. The 4-month-old baby of the tourists was also reportedly hurt in the attack.
A video of the disturbing clash has gone viral on social media, as one of the victims said that Manali was 'worse than Pakistan' and warned other tourists to stay away from the popular hill station.
'Manali is worse than Pakistan. No one should come here. There's no safety for tourists,' the man can be heard saying in the viral video.
According to media reports, the incident occurred on Sunday, June 22, over a minor parking disagreement involving a scooty.
According to the FIR dated June 23, as reported by News18, the victim, 35-year-old Pradeep, hailing from Satnali in Haryana's Mahendragarh district, was on holiday with his wife Deepika (28), their four-month-old daughter Jiya, and four other relatives.
Pradeep claimed his group was physically assaulted while they were returning from Vashisht Temple around 5 PM.
As the group was riding down Mission Road on rented motorcycles, they encountered a jeep blocking their path.
Pradeep said that while they waited, a man approached and asked for the keys to his scooty, saying he needed to move it. However, after returning the keys, the man allegedly began a heated argument, which quickly escalated.
He alleged that the man grabbed his wife, Deepika, by the throat and slammed her to the ground while she was still holding their infant daughter.
In the fall, the baby reportedly hit the road.
As other family members rushed to their aid, three to four more men allegedly joined in and began assaulting them. The attackers also reportedly hurled casteist slurs and issued death threats.
He claimed that despite visiting the police station twice, initially, no appropriate action was taken.
The police have now booked the accused under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 126(2) (assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to disrobe), Section 115(2 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), Section 352 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), Section 351(2) (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour a person), Section 3(5) (cognizable offence).