GUWAHATI: Seven people, including a nightclub manager, were arrested on Saturday after a woman was allegedly “partially stripped and assaulted” by bouncers following a drunken brawl at a bar here a day earlier, police said.The arrests came after police registered a suo motu case and launched an investigation into the alleged assault at the nightclub in the Khanapara area early on Friday.The action followed the circulation of a video purportedly showing the incident on social media.The arrested people, aged between 21 and 30, include three women.Among them are the nightclub manager, event manager and a front office executive.Police are also investigating how the nightclub, ‘The Locals’, remained open well beyond its permitted closing time of 12.30am.Guwahati East deputy police commissioner Tabu Ram Pegu said police launched an inquiry after receiving information about the incident and examined the available CCTV footage.“The footage revealed that the victim was assaulted inside the bar by a group of people at around 2.30 am. Thereafter, she was dragged towards the basement by pulling her hair and clothes, where she was again assaulted and appeared to become semi-conscious,” Tabu told news agency PTI.Several of those allegedly involved in the incident were associated with the bar or were among its staff, Pegu said, adding that the management did not inform the local police station about the incident.“Accordingly, a suo motu case was registered at the Dispur police station, and an investigation has been taken up. Seven people have been arrested so far,” the DCP said.Pegu added that the police are examining the complete sequence of events, the role of each individual involved, the operation of the establishment beyond the permitted closing time, and any other violations that may emerge during the investigation.The video that surfaced online purportedly shows the woman being assaulted while lying on the floor of a building’s parking lot. Another woman is later seen intervening and coming to her rescue.According to a security guard working at the building that houses the club, the woman had hit a female bouncer with a beer bottle inside the club.“This angered other bouncers there, and they brought her downstairs and assaulted her,” he claimed.(With agency inputs)
