Ahmedabad: A simple request to let him cross a road allegedly triggered a savage late-night attack on a 24-year-old stock market trader outside a garba venue near Kalol. He was allegedly assaulted with a metal knuckle duster, choked and bitten repeatedly. The attacker, the owner of a paan shop in Bopal, allegedly bit and severed part of his right earlobe in the assault.The victim, Tanish Patel, suffered a fractured nose and facial injuries too, as stated in a complaint filed with Santej police.Inspector S R Chaudhary said the accused — Bhavik Gajjar, who owns Richie Rich paan shop — is on the run, and efforts are being made to trace him.The incident took place around 2.30am after the Folk Raas Garba event ended at Kantam Party Plot in Sanavad village. Patel, a Sola resident, had attended the event with family members and friends on the night of Oct 16.According to the complaint, Patel was crossing the road outside the venue when a black luxury car without a numberplate was taking a U-turn. Patel allegedly signalled to the driver to let him pass.
Man assaulted outside garba venue
The car stopped near him, and Gajjar, who was allegedly seated in the front passenger seat, got out of the car and began abusing him, the complaint states. When Patel told him he had only signalled to cross the road, Gajjar allegedly pushed him and pulled a knuckle duster from his kurta pocket.The accused allegedly struck Patel below his left eye and on the nose before punching him repeatedly in the face. He also allegedly bit Patel several times on his back, the complaint states.The attack allegedly turned even more violent when Gajjar grabbed Patel by the neck and tried to strangle him. He then allegedly bit down on Patel’s right earlobe, severing a portion of it.Patel’s friends — Sid Brahmbhatt, Sparsh Patel and Nirmay Shah — rushed to intervene and pulled the alleged attacker away. Gajjar allegedly escaped in his car despite their attempts to stop him.Patel was taken by ambulance to a private hospital in Sola. Medical examinations showed a fractured nose, severe swelling below the eye and an injury to his earlobe that could cause permanent deformity, police said.A video purportedly showing the altercation has since surfaced on social media.
