Not allowed to consume alcohol, 4 men set dhaba on fire; held

Dhaba owner Lalit Sharma, 26, said that four men from the area, including main accused Duli Sharma, came and ordered food.

When he saw them pouring alcohol into their glasses, he objected, citing the ongoing 'Shravan' month. After a heated argument, the accused set the dhaba ablaze and fled.

The dhaba was almost gutted by the time police came, said Lalit.

"I tried to douse the spreading flames but failed. The restaurant has been reduced to ashes," he said.

Police have registered a case against the four accused based on Sharma's complaint.

SHO Dhaulana police station, Devendra Singh, said on Thursday, "We registered a case under IPC sections 147 (rioting), 323 (assault) and 436 (mischief by fire) and 506 (criminal intimidation) against Duli Sharma and a few unidentified persons."

According to police sources, Duli Sharma,is a resident of Hapur and works in a private company. “We have detained Duli Sharma and other suspects for questioning and are investigating the matter.”

Lalit said, "I opened the dhaba just two months ago after closing down my restaurant in Dadri. My wife has Hepatitis-C, we have two babies (a girl and a boy) and have to care for an elderly mother. The dhaba was our only source of income."

He added, "I had taken a loan to start it. This incident has caused me a loss of over Rs 2 lakh. A deep-freeze fridge, furniture, the counter, and various other items were destroyed."

He claimed the police were pressuring him to settle the matter or provide false statements as the accused reportedly have political connections. (IANS/AP)