'Sword used' to attack victim of family feud

A group of Indian taxi drivers drove a man off the road and attacked him with a sword following a family feud involving arranged marriages, kidnapping and a car driven through a dairy window, a court has heard.

Hardev Singh-Brar, the owner of 3 Kings Liquor store and part-time taxi driver for Auckland Co-Operative Taxis, said he was attacked by five men on November 18 last year.

He was at the intersection of Mt Albert and Dominion Roads when a red Honda Civic carrying five Indian men suddenly drove in front of his Mitsubishi Pajero, forcing him to stop.

He said he recognised four of the men as taxi drivers from Auckland Co-Operative Taxis. The fifth he had not seen.

Gurnam Singh-Buttar, Amrit Singh, Harpal Singh-Nujjar, Kaniwaldeep Singh-Grewal, taxi drivers for Auckland Co-Operative taxis, are jointly charged with a fifth man, Gurpreet Singh-Buttar, with wounding Mr Brar with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Mr Singh-Brar said Singh-Buttar came at him with a sword in his hand and smashed his car windscreen before pulling him from the car and attacking him.

He said the other men helped hold him down while punching him.

He said he tried to grab the sword but cut his hand. "I can't fight back when five people are attacking me. I'm trying to save myself," he told police prosecutor Terry Singh.

Mr Singh Brar's bloodied shirt and pants were shown to the court.

Singh-Buttar's lawyer Chris Reid questioned Mr Singh-Brar about refusing to let his sister-in-law, Paramjeet, marry Singh-Buttar.

"Did you or did you not approve of the proposed marriage to Gurnam?"

"They didn't ask me anything," Mr Singh-Brar said.

Mr Reid: "I suggest you were violently and vociferously opposed to his marriage."

Mr Reid questioned him about his involvement in bringing Indian men to New Zealand to marry women here.

Paramjeet had returned to India, Mr Reid said.

He asked Mr Singh-Brar about his involvement in having her kidnapped and kept in a house in India until she agreed to comply with his wish that she marry a man he wanted her to marry.

The deposition hearing is expected to finish today.