A Nihang Sikh from Karnal has been arrested for physically assaulting a chicken seller at the Singhu border for refusing to give him a chicken for free.

Manoj Paswan, a Dalit from Bihar, was carrying some chickens on a cart for delivery when the accused interrupted him and demanded a chicken for free.

The two of them broke into an argument afterwards, and Nihang Sikh then broke Paswan’s leg with a rod.

“The accused then hit the victim with a rod and broke his leg. The victim was later admitted to a hospital for treatment. The medical report is awaited,” the Kundli police station SHO Ravi Kumar was quoted in an article by The Indian Express.

He added, “The accused, a Nihang, was arrested and an FIR was lodged. He will be produced in court today.”

An FIR has been registered against him under the IPC sections 303 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) at the Kundli police station.

“He asked me to give him a chicken. I told him I cannot give it to him since there is a count of chickens that are given to us and we have to deliver them. If there is any missing, I would be accused of theft. I took out a slip from my pocket to show him the count,” Paswan was quoted narrating the incident in the publication.

He added that the assaulter saw a beedi in his pocket and alleged that Paswan was smoking the beedi at the protest site. “I told him that I had not smoked beedi at the site. I do it elsewhere. But he started assaulting me with a stick,” the chicken seller further recollected the horrific incident.