Jalandhar(10/08/2025):On the intervening night of 4th and 5th August 2025, in a restaurant and bar named “Notorious Club” in Jalandhar city, a violent clash broke out between two groups. According to a news report published on 5th August 2025 in a Hindi newspaper printed from Jalandhar city, in this clash, Divyansh, son of Triveni Malhotra (one of the owners of the commercial mall Eastwood Village located on the Jalandhar–Phagwara highway), and Manas, nephew of Triveni Malhotra, sustained serious injuries.
As per the same news report, the attackers in this case have been identified as Bunty Chawla, a property dealer with an office on the 66-Foot Road in Jalandhar city, and Tabby Bhatia, who runs a shoes and accessories shop in Model Town, Jalandhar.
A few days after the incident, the police had not taken any action against either party. However, 09/08/2025 a news has surfaced that Police Station No. 4 has registered a case against the alleged attackers. In addition, the Excise Department, while completing formalities, has suspended the liquor-serving license of the said club for only one month, and it is being heard that further proceedings are underway.
One of the most concerning matters that has come to light is that the same Hindi newspaper, in its front-page coverage on 5th August 2025, wrote that the so-called head of a journalists’ association operating from Jalandhar, in collusion with a DCP of Jalandhar Police, is trying to mediate and suppress the matter. Furthermore, some news websites operating from Jalandhar are publishing serious allegations against their own fellow journalists, accusing them of extorting money from parties involved in the incident. Regardless of everything else, this matter has undoubtedly hurt the dignity of Jalandhar’s journalist community.
The people of Jalandhar may have read all of this in the news, but we would like to shed light on certain questions arising from this incident that seem to have been deliberately hidden so far.
In almost all reportings till now, Triveni Malhotra’s son and nephew have been portrayed as helpless and innocent victims. But the question arises—what were these two supposed victims doing in that club at 2:30 AM night? This question has not been asked by any media outlet so far. We do not know of any restaurant in the country that serves food to customers till 2:30 AM night.
If we go by the CCTV footage, it is clearly visible that both groups were involved in the fight. In such a scenario, is it fair to call one party the attacker and the other the victim? A clap is never made with one hand alone. Has the police ever tried to find out two basic things—first, what exactly started the fight, and second, to what extent were Triveni Malhotra’s son and nephew at fault for this brawl?
The same Hindi newspaper, in its 6th August 2025 report, wrote that the police had visited several times to record statements from both parties, but neither side was willing to give a statement. This raises the question—if Triveni Malhotra’s side is truthful, why are they not providing their statements to the police?
Another important question arises: since both the son and nephew of Triveni Malhotra are admitted in the hospital, has any effort been made to conduct a blood test to determine whether they consumed alcohol or not that day? We are not directly making allegations against these young men, but we are questioning the investigation process. It may be that such tests have been conducted and we are simply unaware of the facts, but such questions should have been raised from the very beginning.
Triveni Malhotra has stated to the same newspaper that the attackers did not know his son and nephew beforehand. In that case, the question arises—why has the police not yet disclosed to the public the basic reason for a fight between two previously unknown groups?
Another point that raises doubts about police action is that the same Jalandhar Police, who frequently misuse sections 107/151 to harass poor people, did not, at the time of the brawl, initiate any such action against either Triveni Malhotra’s side or the other party(bunty chawla and tabby bhatia group). Now the most important question—since the police have registered a case against the so-called attackers, will they inform the public about a time frame within which these accused persons are likely to be arrested?
Finally, if some journalists are indeed trying to suppress this matter, why has the police not revealed their names? By not doing so, the police have, in one way or another, allowed the entire journalist community to be insulted.
Tags
General