Student ‘leader’, supporters go on rampage at Jaipur pump

JAIPUR: In a brazen display of muscle power, an alleged NSUI student leader and his supporters went on rampage in the city on Saturday, vandalising a petrol pump in Gopalpura and thrashing its employees and customers with sticks and iron rods.
Petrol pump attendants Dhara Singh Gujjar and Ashok Saini were critically injured and are undergoing treatment at a hospital in the city.The incident took place at Vidhyasagar petrol pump near Triveni Nagar in Gopalpura. An FIR has been registered at Mahesh Nagar police station, accusing Mukesh Choudhary, who claims himself to be associated with NSUI, his brother Ramesh Choudhary and others for the violent brawl.
One of the petrol pump attendants, Sanjeev Meena, told TOI that two youths on a bike came to fill petrol at 9.45am. “They began abusing the staff when we asked them to pay. After much cajoling, they agreed to pay through the online wallet app. But when we asked them to show the transaction receipt on the mobile, they slapped us,” he said.
Youths vandalised vehicles parked at the petrol pump
Even before the employees could respond, over a dozen youths with sticks and iron rods came in two SUVs and started thrashing them. “They tried to rob cash from Dhara Singh and Ashok Saini. They then vandalised vehicles parked at the petrol pump, thrashed customers and staff alike and attempted to run over anyone who tried to stop them,” said Navdeep, a petrol pump employee.
The CCTV footage shows an SUV with Mukesh Choudhary’s name on its windscreen circling around the petrol pump, running over vehicles and attacking employees. “It was a horrifying incident and it left two of our colleagues writhing in pain and profusely bleeding,” Navdeep said, adding that Mukesh and his brother kept threatening the staff. The employees claim that they retaliated in self-defence as the scuffle could have damaged one of the fuel pumping machines and resulted in massive explosion.
“Mukesh Choudhary’s supporters kept coming in large numbers and overpowered all of us. We tried to disperse them in self-defence but in vain. They also tried to run me over but I was lucky to escape unscathed,” said Dev, another employee.
Refuting the culprit’s claim, Abhimanyu Poonia, president of NSUI Rajasthan, told TOI, “The accused in the case of vandalising the petrol pump is not holding any position in the body. All I know is that he is seeking a ticket from NSUI to contest elections for the Rajasthan University Students Union (RUSU).”
However, when contacted, Mukesh Choudhary claimed that he was not involved in the scuffle.