NEW DELHI: A day before the Delhi chief minister allowed them the legal option to refuse customers, a group of auto drivers outside Malviya Nagar Metro station beat up a business analyst working at a Gurgaon multinational company when he protested their refusal to ply by the meter.

Mayank Aggarwal was punched and kicked by a group of about 15 auto drivers on Saturday evening when he tried to inform police that he was being overcharged.

Aggarwal said it was around 9.30pm when he reached Malviya Nagar Metro station. He stepped out of gate number 3 at Press Enclave Road and asked the autos there to take him to Tikona Park, which is barely two kilometres away. Aggarwal said most of the auto drivers refused him and the few who agreed to ferry him wanted to charge him double the legitimate fare.

“When I confronted one of them, he asked me to look for other means of transport if I did not wish to pay the amount,” Aggarwal said. The upset man got into an argument with the group who dared him to call the police. He had in fact asked a traffic policeman standing nearby to intervene, but he proved to be no help.

As he was dialing the helpline number, a woman, who was probably the wife of one of the drivers, walked up and slapped him, Aggarwal says in his complaint. She was then joined by the auto drivers standing by. “There were 15-20 drivers who punched and kicked me. I was pushed to the ground and beaten badly. No one came forward to help,” Aggarwal said. The auto drivers threatened him with dire consequences if he called police. A PCR van had arrived by then and Aggarwal was taken to AIIMS Trauma Center. He was treated and discharged after which he reached the police station to register a complaint.

DCP South Prem Nath said that an FIR has been registered and a probe is on to identify the auto drivers. A case under sections 323 (assault), 341 (illegal confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) IPC has been registered. CCTV footage from the area is being examined.