Bhubaneswar: A tourist couple from Karnataka’s Mysuru were allegedly assaulted by employees of a restaurant in Puri after they complained of finding hair in their food on Wednesday evening, police said on Thursday.The couple, identified as Bharath Chandra (28) and R Sushmitha (23), sustained facial bruises and underwent treatment at the Puri district headquarters hospital.In a complaint lodged at Sea Beach police station on Thursday, the couple alleged that they, along with 10 relatives, visited the restaurant for dinner when the dispute broke out. “I found hair in the food on my plate. We called the manager and complained, but our objection was ignored. When we insisted that all the food plates be replaced, the staff refused to oblige and said they would replace only the plate in which the hair was found,” Sushmitha told reporters. She added that she is pregnant and was traumatised by the alleged assault.The couple further alleged that the restaurant demanded payment for the replacement dish. “When we objected, the staff behaved rudely and abused us. When I started recording a video of their behaviour, they allegedly locked the exit gate and began assaulting us. At that time, there were no other guest at the restaurant,” she claimed.Following a call to the police control room by one of Bharath’s relatives, a police patrol vehicle reached the spot and shifted the injured couple to hospital.However, the restaurant staff denied the allegations and accused the tourists of being the aggressors. “We had agreed to replace the food as requested. However, they created a ruckus and used offensive language in Hindi. When we protested, they assaulted us. Our manager-cum-owner was also injured in the incident,” said a restaurant employee.Police said they received complaints from both sides and have registered a case and counter-case. “We are examining CCTV footage from the restaurant and questioning those involved,” said Puri SP Prateek Singh.Police officers suspect that the altercation may have escalated due to language and communication issues. “Since the tourists are from Karnataka, they may not have fully understood Hindi. We are trying to ascertain the exact sequence of events that led to the clash,” said DSP (Puri city) Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra. Police sources said one of the restaurant employees was detained for questioning.
