Rajesh Rai | Phuentsholing
A landlord’s relative and a tenant in Phuentsholing ended up in a scuffle when the former came to collect rent on February 8.
A 30-year-old man was allegedly physically assaulted by his landlord’s daughter-in-law. The incident took place when the woman came to collect the monthly rent of Nu 4,000.
The tenant, who is a driver, who lived in the house with his wife, said he requested the woman if he could pay the rent when the situation was better.
“It is not that I didn’t have money,” he said. “But I was worried this lockdown would prolong like last year. So I made a request that we will pay two months’ rent together.”
He said that the woman got “so abusive”. “She attacked me on my neck and I had to push her away.”
The woman’s husband then arrived at the scene. However, she allegedly attacked him in front of her husband.
“That’s when I also lost control and slapped her,” he claimed. “I never intended to lay hands on her. It was only because I could not bear the pain.”
The driver alleged that the woman repeatedly asked her husband to beat him up. And when he didn’t, she also allegedly brought a stick to attack, the driver claimed.
Refuting the tenant’s allegations, the house owner said that his daughter-in-law had gone to ask for rent because they were all in the same building.
“While asking for the rent, she had told him other tenants had paid,” he said. “But the tenant became furious and came charging at her. He slapped her and that’s when she pushed him.”
Meanwhile, the news went viral in Phuentsholing when the victim posted a picture of his neck with scratch marks on a Telegram group chat for residents with more than 7,000 members.
Police officials in Phuentsholing said a battery case was registered and it is under investigation. Due to the ongoing lockdown and protocols, including the woman being a mother of a young child, an in-depth investigation could not be done at the moment.
A police official said that people should support each other in these difficult times. If people face any problems, they should report the issues to the relevant agencies for help, and not post them online, he said.