Video of traffic policeman kicking physically challenged woman sparks outrage

The woman was pelting stones at a towing vehicle

A traffic policeman was caught on camera assaulting and abusing a physically challenged woman on the busy J.C. Road after a stone that she was throwing at a towing vehicle hit him instead. The clip shows passers-by trying to intervene even as the policeman continued kicking her. He was later identified as Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) R. Narayana attached to the Halasuru Gate traffic police.

The incident occurred three days ago, and the video is being widely circulated on social media. Many people called for action against the ASI for his excessive use of force and foul language.

The woman, Manjula, 37, works as a parking lot attendant at one of the service roads off J.C. Road, and lives nearby in a makeshift shelter. She was later bundled into a patrolling vehicle and taken to the jurisdictional S.J. Park Police where she was booked for assaulting a policeman on duty and remanded into judicial custody.

The incident occurred when the ASI was doing rounds in a towing vehicle to check for parking violations. While the vehicle was moving on the service road, Manjula hurled stones at the vehicle in a fit of rage, and one of them hit Narayana. In the clip, he is seen getting out of the vehicle and dragging Manjula by her hair. He pushed her to the ground and started assaulting her both physically and verbally. He continued to kick and beat her until a Hoysala reached the spot.

In his complaint to the S.J. Park police, Narayana claimed he had a narrow escape and that his eye could have been damaged by the stone. Investigations so far have revealed that Manjula lived in a makeshift house on the service road. She eked out a living monitoring the parked vehicles, and would often pick fights with the towing team.