He alleged that the management tried to pressure him to withdraw his cases against the school.
New Delhi: A former physical education teacher of a renowned school in Faridabad was physically assaulted by goons, allegedly at the behest of the school’s management, for dragging the school to court over his “illegal” termination from the school some years back.
Naresh Chaudhury, the 31-year-old physical education teacher of St Columbus School, was attacked and assaulted by five men armed with iron rods and hammers while on his way back from the district court in Faridabad. The assault left him bleeding on the road, with one arm and both his legs broken. He alleged that the goons were sent by the school’s management which has been trying to “pressurise” him to withdraw his cases against the school and its management.
Chaudhury told The Sunday Guardian, “While I was coming back from the court in Faridabad on my motorcycle, a Ritz car hit me from behind, after which six people started assaulting me mercilessly with iron rods and hammers. While they were beating me up, they were threatening me to take back the case or they would kill me.”
“They kept hitting me with iron rods and hammers till passersby and local people came to my rescue. The locals then took me to the hospital. Even while the goons were going back, they screamed, saying that this time I was saved, but next time I will be killed. Sumit Chaudhury, the school chairman’s son, was standing and laughing while all this was going on,” Chaudhury alleged.
The incident took place on 6 March and an FIR in this case has already been registered with the Faridabad police which has arrested two persons, while three are still absconding. The victim, Naresh Chaudhury, has also levelled allegations against the police for diluting the FIR and not taking stringent action against the perpetrators.
Naresh Chaudhury said, “The police did not register a case under IPC 307 (Attempt to Murder) even when my condition was very serious in the hospital. They diluted the FIR and weak and bailable sections were put in the FIR. It has been 24 days, but the police is yet to either arrest or even issue a notice to the school chairman Rishi Chaudhary.”
However, Mukesh Kumar, the investigating officer in this case, told The Sunday Guardian that the police has already registered an FIR. “We have arrested two persons and given exemption from arrest for a few days to one of the accused who had sought exemption on medical grounds. As for the other two accused, we do not have any clue as of now, but investigation is on and we will nab them soon too.”
Naresh Chaudhury claimed to have been “illegally” terminated from the school in 2013 after he had taken a long sick leave from the school. Since then, he has been fighting in court against the school’s management. Chaudhury has also filed several cases against the school’s chairman Rishi Chaudhury and in one such case at the Saket District Court in Delhi, Rishi Chaudhury has also been charge-sheeted.
Repeated attempts to contact the school’s chairman Rishi Chaudhury through telephone and messages for his response to the story remained unanswered till the time of going to press.