Ashni Dhaor and Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; May 22, 2019)

After being booked for vandalising a convenience store in Shopprix Mall in Sector 4, Vaishali, Ghaziabad, on May 12, TV actor Aansh Arora has now been booked for attempt to murder after six masked men claiming allegiance to the actor fired gunshots at the store on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday (May 20). “On the basis of the complaint filed by a store staff, an FIR against Aansh and five-six unidentified persons has been registered under IPC Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) at the Indirapuram Police Station,” said Sandeep Singh, Station House Officer, Indirapuram Police Station.

The actor, known for TV shows like Kasam Tere Pyar Ki, had filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission last week, alleging police brutality.

MASKED MEN TOLD US TO TAKE BACK THE COMPLAINTS AGAINST AANSH: STAFFER OF STORE WHICH WAS VANDALISED
According to Abhinav, the complainant, who is a staffer at the store, the incident happened at around 1.55am. “The men shattered our store entrance by firing at it and barged in. They started vandalising the store with hockey sticks. Before I could dial 100, one of them pointed a gun at me and said, ‘Aansh bhai ke khilaf jo report likhwai hai woh wapas le lo, warna achcha nahi hoga’. He was also asking for the CCTV footage,” said Abhinav, who added that the assailants fired 10 rounds of gun shots.

It was only when the armed security guard of the store fired a shot in the air that the assailants reportedly fled. “While I dialled 100, the security guard outside the store fired a shot in the air, which is when the men fled the spot. The mall security’s Quick Response Team’s (QRT) van, stationed outside the store, was also vandalised by the men, its glass shattered with hockey sticks,” added Abhinav.

By the time the police reached the spot, the masked men had fled. The police took the CCTV footage of the store and filed a complaint against Aansh Arora and six unknown people. “We are trying to ascertain whether Aansh was among those who attacked the store or not. The CCTV footage of the store is being analysed and investigation is on, after which we will make arrests,” said Aparna Gautam, Circle Officer, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad Police. She added that goods worth Rs 20 lakh have been destroyed and the store will now remain shut for a few days pending renovation.

GHAZIABAD POLICE IS TRYING TO FRAME ME IN A FALSE CASE: AANSH ARORA
While the store owner has complained to the police, Aansh is insisting that he has not done anything wrong and claims that his life is in danger. Addressing the allegations of the store being vandalised, Aansh told us, “These allegations that I have vandalised the store and was involved in a firing incident aren’t true. I’m not aware who vandalised their store, but I believe that all this is being done to frame me. I have complained against the Ghaziabad police and that’s why the police officials are trying to frame me in a false case. Since the last two days, I have been getting threat calls from unknown numbers, with people asking me to withdraw my complaint against the police. They have threatened me that if I don’t, I will have to bear the consequences. My life is in danger.”

A source close to Aansh told us, “The store has been claiming that the men who vandalised the place also asked for the CCTV footage which shows Ansh being involved in the brawl that took place on the intervening night of May 11 and 12. But why would Aansh do that when he knows that the DVR of the CCTV footage is with police?”

WE ARE ONLY GOING TO BELIEVE IN EVIDENCE, NOT WHAT A PERSON ALLEGES: POLICE
When asked whether claims made by Aansh are true, Gautam said, “We are not going to believe what someone alleges and we will only consider evidence. In the last week’s CCTV footage, we could see Aansh vandalising the store, while in the last footage, we see six men doing the same, firing at the store and threatening the staff in the name of the actor.”

WHERE WAS THE MALL’S SECURITY?
According to Vikram Bhati, who looks after the administration at Shopprix Mall, Vaishali, there were around six-seven security guards present at the mall at the time of the incident. When asked how could the assailants then enter the premises, he said, “The security guards are stationed all across the mall and not at one place. The assailants who entered the store did not come by car but walked across the road and we didn’t see the weapons on them.”

Why didn’t they see the hockey sticks in their hands? “There was only one guard at the point from where the assailants entered, hence he couldn’t stop them,” he said, adding, “Jab5-6 log store mein ghusenge, toh ek guard kya karlega samajhne ki baat hai.”


According to the police, goods worth Rs 20 lakh have been destroyed

TV actor Aansh Arora had accused the Ghaziabad Police of thrashing him mercilessly, however, the cops say it was a cover-up
Ashni Dhaor and Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; May 20, 2019)

Aansh Arora, known for TV shows like Kasam Tere Pyaar Ki, has filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission against the Ghaziabad Police, alleging torture by the police on the night of May 12. According to his complaint, he had an altercation with the staff of a convenience store in Shopprix Mall, Vaishali, on May 11. On May 12, when he went back to resolve the dispute, he says the staff called the police, who took him and his brother to the Indirapuram Police Station at around 2am. There, according to Aansh, he was subjected to police brutality till about 3am.

‘WHY DID THE POLICE BEAT ME UP LIKE A CRIMINAL?’
Aansh Arora told us, “I went to Shoprix Mall, Ghaziabad, on May 11, and had ordered food. After the staff told me that there would be a delay in the order, I asked them to cancel the order. The staff behaved rudely with me and we argued. I got really angry and broke a few items at the shop. But I felt really guilty about the whole incident, so on May 12, at around 1.30-2 am, I went to apologise to them. I told them that I’m ready to pay for the damage.”

The actor says that the staff instead called the cops from the PCR van stationed outside the mall. He says, “The policemen didn’t listen to me and took me to the police station. Meanwhile, my brother, who was waiting for me in the parking lot, tried to ask the police why they were taking me, so they took him to the police station as well. They registered an FIR against me under Section 151 (of the Code Of Criminal Procedure - arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offence).”

Aansh adds, “I don’t understand why they took me to the police station and locked me up as if I were a criminal. The police took away our phones and didn’t even allow us to inform our parents. There were around five-six cops who thrashed me inside the lock-up with their belts. The next day, at around 10.30 am, they took my brother to another room and beat him up. They even made me count from 1 to 40, and each time I reached 40, they hit me. In fact, they said, ‘If you miss a number, you’ll have to start again.’ When we didn’t reach home that night, our parents arrived at the same police station to file a missing persons complaint, but the police misled them. However, after making inquiries, our parents got to know that we were in the lock-up.”

Aansh and his brother were produced in the evening court of the SDM Ghaziabad on May 12 and granted bail. Aansh says, “After the Ghaziabad Police released me, we went to a nearby hospital for a medical checkup and thankfully everything was fine. But the next day, after I complained of chest pain and went to the hospital, the doctors asked for some tests and kept me under observation. I decided to write to the Human Rights Commission and to the DGP UP because I thought that if the police can behave like this with me, how do they behave with common people? My parents also went to meet the SSP Ghaziabad and he has assured action against the policemen of Indirapuram Police Station.”

AANSH INJURED OUR CONSTABLES: GHAZIABAD POLICE
The Ghaziabad Police has refuted the allegations of brutality. “When Aansh visited the store the day after the altercation, the store manager dialled 100 and a PCR van went to the spot. When the police confronted Aansh about his behaviour the preceding night, woh badtameezi karne laga, nakhun mare hain constables ko. After this, he was sent to preventive custody at the Indirapuram Police Station. His allegations of police brutality are absolutely baseless. He is doing this only to shield himself as there is proof of him creating a ruckus at the store, and breaking their monitors,” says Aparna Gautam, Circle Officer, Indirapuram.

SSP Ghaziabad Upendra Kumar Aggarwal tells us, “The CCTV footage of Aansh vandalising the store is already all over social media and one can see how he is behaving. In relation to this, he was booked under Section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Maybe he is trying to shield himself by complaining against the police. We will investigate his claims.” The application to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate to file a case under CrPC 151 is under the actor’s real name, Gitesh Kumar.



AANSH VANDALISED OUR STORE OVER A HOTDOG: STORE MANAGER
According to the store manager of the convenience store, Aansh was asked to wait for a while as he had ordered a hotdog. “Within five minutes of being told that the hotdog would take some time, the man started yelling, ‘Mujhko aankhein dikha raha hai?’ at our staff. Then he started vandalising the store. He got away that day and we couldn’t call the police, but the next day, when he came back, we immediately dialled 100. We are not sure if he was drunk, but it seemed like he was definitely on something,” says the store manager, who did not wish to be named.