3 Punjab and Haryana HC advocates thrashed in eatery, footage deleted

PANCHKULA: A group of 10-12 persons allegedly thrashed three advocates practising at the Punjab and Haryana high court in Sector 10 on Sunday night.
Dipankar Sharma, a resident of Sector 30, Chandigarh, said he and his two colleagues Rohit Saroha and Kamitak Sakhanpal went to have food at an eatery. “A few customers sitting at a table nearby started passing comments at us. After a while they started using abusive language.When we asked them to keep quiet, they threatened us of dire consequences,” the complaint alleged.
Dipankar said as he was about to call police helpline 100, one of the accused pulled his phone and tried to snatch his gold chain. At the same time, another accused smashed a glass bottle on the head of Dipankar, the complaint alleged. Employees of the restaurants also joined the accused in thrashing the advocates.
A little while later, four persons, including a man in police uniform identified as Sunil Kumar, a constable at the Sector 10 police post, came to the dhaba in a car bearing registration number HR-36-L-2400 and shut down the shutter of the joint and of an ice-cream parlour located next to it. They then deleted the CCTV footage from both the shops, Dipankar alleged. “The four occupants, including the cop took out a wooden stick and started thrashing us,” he alleged.
When the advocates reached the Sector 10 police post to register a complaint, the accused allegedly gheraoed the police post, with one of them claiming he is a brother of a BJP leader and no action can be taken against them.
After conducting the medical examination, police registered a case under Sections 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 379-B (snatching) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Ravi Tiwari, Devender, Rakesh, Sourabh, Sunil and five to six other persons at the Sector 5 police station.
Panchkula commissioner of police (CP) Saurabh Singh formed a special investigation team (SIT), including deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Kamaldeep Goyal, assistant commissioner of police ACP Noopur Bishnoi and inspector Karambir Singh, in-charge, crime branch, Sector 19. Singh said, “The constable has been put under suspension and the home guards sent to their parental units till the investigation is going on. No arrests have been made till now, but all the accused will be caught.”
Cop among accused, SIT formed
Three HC advocates go to have food at an eatery in Sector 10, Panchkula
Diners sitting nearby pass comments and hurl abuses at them
When one of the advocates tries to call cops, one of the accused snatches his phone and another smashes a glass bottle on his head
Employees of the eatery also thrash the three advocates
A cop along with three other persons come to the eatery, down its shutters and that of an ice cream parlour and remove CCTV footage
The cop also allegedly hits the advocate
The accused gherao Sector 10 police post when advocates go there to lodge a complaint
Police form an SIT to arrest the accused