Man in critical condition after alleged assault in Tailevu

A 43-year-old man from Waidalice in Tailevu is in critical condition after he was allegedly assaulted by two men on Sunday.

According to the victim’s family, the incident occurred on Sunday, the 15th of March, when two men who were allegedly drunk entered their compound in a taxi and began repeatedly sounding the horn.

The victim’s 15-year-old daughter, Nivansha Prasad says one of the men called her to come outside.

She says when she went outside, she noticed the man was intoxicated, so she returned inside and called her father.

Nivansha says when her father came outside, an argument started and the two men suddenly began hitting him.

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The victim’s 18-year-old son, Roneel Ritesh Prasad, says when he ran outside, he saw the two men punching and kicking his father.

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He says when he tried to intervene, one them choked him, making breathing difficult.

The family claims the attackers repeatedly punched and kicked their father, causing injuries to his head, chest and back.

They say he was bleeding heavily and had difficulty breathing.

The family then rushed their father to Korovou Health Centre where he is in critical condition and unable to speak.

Doctors later arranged for his transfer to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva the same day for further medical examination and scans.

The victim's sister, Reena Kumar says her brother suffered serious injuries including stitches to the head, swelling around the eyes and difficulty walking.

She also claims the same two men allegedly returned to the hospital and attempted to assault him again before security intervened.

Kumar also raised concerns about the handling of the case at Korovou Police Station.

She claims that when family members first went to the station around 6pm Sunday, no entry was made in the police station diary, and they were issued medical forms before a report number was provided.

She says the report was only officially recorded later at around 1am Monday after she questioned officers about the matter.

Family members say the confrontation arose from a misunderstanding and are calling for justice.

The family has also alleged that one of the suspects was driving a taxi while intoxicated.

Police say the two men have been taken into custody and confirm that investigations are underway.