‘Shashank Singh, his father beat me up like a dog’: IPL star's cook alleges assault, case filed

CRicketer and native american premiere conference (IPL) asterisk Shashank Singh and his padre Shailesh Singh, who is also a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, were booked after their cook alleged verbal abuse, assault and confinement against his will by them.A case was registered by Bhopal Police at Ratibad Police Station on Monday following the complaint of 31-year-old Vipendra Singh Tomar, who started working at Singh's house only recently.Shashank Singh plays in the IPL for the Punjab Kings team.Along with the cricketer and his father, their driver is also a co-accused in the case and is currently under probe by Ratibad Police, reported news agency ANI.Tomar, who hails from Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district, was employed as a cook at Singh's family residence in Bhopal's Mendori village and got the job through an acquaintance.Also read: Massive fire breaks out in naphtha-carrying pipeline at refinery in Bengal's Haldia; 20 injured ₹15,000 salary, assurance of govt jobIn his written complaint, Tomar has alleged that he was promised a salary of ₹15,000 along with free accommodation and food at Shailesh Singh's Nilbad bungalow. Tomar also claimed that he was also assured of assistance in securing a government job in future.However, things turned bad for Tomar who, within hours of taking up the job, allegedly faced intense mental pressure and verbal abuses, according to the complaint. Tomar alleged that there were complaints over the quality of the food being prepared there and things escalated quickly thereafter.He said that he decided to not continue at this new job after observing the abusive behaviour and told him employers that he wanted to quit and go back home which angered the accused, the complaint said. ‘Beaten, phone confiscated, forced to work against will’Describing his ordeal while talking to ANI, Tomar said he decided he did not want to work there when he observed the abusive work environment and realised that the work was too much on the first day of his job.Also read: India's oil import cost falls below $70, first since Iran war began. But petrol, diesel price cut unlikelyHe said that when he went to tell his decision to his employer, his phone was taken away and the accused, Shailesh Singh, asked him, “Why did you come here? Are you here to murder me? Are you here to steal? I will have you investigated. You will have to work, for at least a month."Tomar also said that the accused tried to intimidate him by saying “I have shot so many people like you”. He added that he worked for two days, hoping they will give his phone back, but when that did not happen, he had to lock himself in a room and demanded his phone back, following which, the family's driver started to break the door down. Then Shashank Singh, the cricketer, came there and asked him to open the door, Tomar alleged.“As soon as I opened the door, both of them — the driver and Shashank — beat me up like a dog. Shashank's father and sister also joined them and only stopped when they thought I would die,” Tomar said.Also read: How does WhatsApp's new username feature work? Here's how you can chat without phone numberIn a medical examination conducted by the police later, it was confirmed that Tomar had visible injury marks on his face and body.‘Paid them back even for three days’ food'The cook said that as he was being beaten up repeatedly by the accused, he also gave them his Aadhaar Card and everything else they demanded to let him go back.“He (the accused) asked me to pay back for eating the food there for three days. My brother-in-law sent me ₹1,000 which I gave to them,” Tomar said, before adding that it was only after they got him to write a statement that they let him go.“They did not even pay me one rupee for my work,” he said.Also read: Thieves break into home of Twisha's mother-in-law Giribala Singh; her family fears crime scene tampering“They kicked me, beat me up with sticks, shoes, hands, however they could. Shashank Singh, his father Shailesh Singh, their driver, and his sister were involved in beating me," he added.‘Opened gate when Shashank Singh arrived’Recalling his ordeal, the complainant said that he opened the gate after locking himself in only when Shashank Singh arrived and he believed that the cricketer would help him leave the place.“I thought he is their son, he is reasonable, he will help me get out. But as soon as I opened the gate, he abused him and started beating me up badly,” Tomar told ANI.He also alleged that police complaint was also filed after he started talking to media.The Ratibad Police registered an FIR based on the complaint and filed a case under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita — Section 296(B) Obscene acts and public verbal abuse; Section 115(2) Voluntarily causing hurt/assault and Section 3(5) Joint criminal liability (acts done by multiple people with common intention).The cricketer has not reacted to the case so far.(With inputs from ANI)