Lawyer alleges assault by kin in courtroom

Bhopal: A scuffle broke out in a district court on Tuesday after a lawyer, who is the son of a former MP, was allegedly assaulted in front of a judge. The attacker, identified as the lawyer's brother-in-law, allegedly manhandled him, tore the buttons off his coat, and issued threats inside the courtroom. The lawyer was identified as Anant Sanjar, the son of former BJP MP Alok Sanjar. High drama prevailed in the court complex, as a large number of lawyers gathered around the accused, demanding action. The agitation continued for nearly eight hours, as per eye-witnesses. A heavy police team reached the court premises and whisked the alleged attacker away to a separate room to ensure his safety amid the agitation, while the protesting lawyers were in court. The lawyer told police that he was representing a woman in a case related to alleged cruelty by her husband, who happens to be his brother-in-law. Anant said as he was escorting the woman to court, when Vidyut Bhatnagar, his brother-in-law, arrived and started misbehaving with him. He then engaged in a scuffle, the lawyer alleged.Later, around 8 pm, senior officers from three police stations reached the spot with reinforcements as tensions spiralled. According to eyewitness accounts, the alleged attacker apologised for his conduct. He added that the matter was the fallout of a family dispute.DCP (Zone-2) Vivek Singh said a case would be registered once a formal complaint is received. It was learnt that the lawyer did express his intention to lodge a complaint. No FIR was filed till the filing of this report.