Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Their nuptial turned out to be a nightmare when a couple found themselves being filmed by three staffers at hotel Park Plaza. The groom was allegedly beaten up when he chased the trio.
Police have found two holes drilled into a window of the room and arrested two persons — housekeeper Parvinder Pohal and a labourer Raju Soni — on charges of attempt to murder and trespassing. The five-star hotel, owned by Congress leader Jassi Khangura, has suspended four employees.
Harpreet Singh, who is undergoing treatment at the Christian Medical College, said it was around 2.15 am when he retired to his room (no 12) with his bride. ‘‘Shortly afterwards, I went for a wash. On my return, I noticed a gap in the window curtain. When I went to draw it, I saw three persons with a camera standing on the terrace.’’ He alleged that the men threw some heavy object at him, which hit his forehead. ‘‘I managed to catch them as the window pane was broken.’’ But the men, dressed in hotel livery, continued to hit him till he fell down, the groom said.
Meanwhile, his wife, who had fainted, regained consciousness and called the receptionist. Then, she called up her relatives, who arrived before the hotel security. The relatives, one of who was a senior journalist with an English daily, called the police.
A police team, led by SP R.K. Jaiswal, found a trail of blood spots from the window to a room in the hotel, pointing to the involvement of an insider. They also found two holes in rooms 112 and 114. Police sources said the hotel staff could not give any explanation for the holes.
Khangura later held a press conference denying the involvement of any staff member. He said Harpreet may have hurt himself while breaking the window pane. he said holes were meant for ‘‘Alan Keys’’, used to open the window by the cleaners.
