Shivpuri lodge operator and youth clash over room; FIR against Rajesh Verma, counter-complaint awaited

A dispute over taking a room at Mangalam Lodge at Gurudwara Chauraha in Shivpuri's Kotwali police station area led to an argument and then a fight between the lodge operator and a youth. Some videos of the incident have also surfaced.

On the complaint of lodge operator Agam Jain, police have registered an FIR against Rajesh Verma. Verma is currently admitted to the district hospital. Police say his side will also be recorded when his complaint is received.

According to Jain, Verma, a resident of Ratore, came to the lodge around 6 pm on Monday. He said he needed a room to stay with his ailing mother, and then left to bring her from the hospital. Jain alleges that Verma returned alone after a while, without his mother, and was drunk. He therefore refused to give him a room and returned his Rs 600. Jain says Verma got angry over this and began slapping him.

Verma's account is different. He says his mother had already died. He says he had paid Rs 600 for a room that was to have an attached toilet and bathroom. It is alleged that Jain did not give the room as Verma had asked. According to Verma, when he protested, he was first locked in the room and beaten, and then assaulted again in the parking area.

Meanwhile, families living around the lodge have submitted a complaint at Kotwali police station. They have demanded that the frequent disputes and alleged wrongful activities at the lodge be stopped. Residents say the lodge adjoins a Jain temple, and that the approach and parking area are also used by the public, which causes trouble for neighbouring families. Local people have demanded action in the matter.

Kotwali station in-charge Puneet Bajpai said a dispute had arisen over taking a room at Mangalam Lodge. An FIR has been registered against Rajesh Verma on Agam Jain's complaint. Verma is admitted to the district hospital, and an FIR on his side will also be registered when his complaint is received. The complaint by neighbouring families about alleged wrongful activities at the lodge will also be investigated.