Hassan police draw flak for beating up man taking son to health clinic

The Hassan police have come under severe criticism over the recent assault of a man who was on the way to a clinic along with his feverish son. The man was beaten up on the charges of violating lockdown regulations and attacking policemen on duty.

Shabbir Ahmed, 39, an autorickshaw driver living near Shafi Masjid in Hassan, was on the way to Kiran Clinic with his nine-year-old son around 10 a.m. on March 27 on his two-wheeler. Two police constables, Ganesh and Jagadish, attached to the Pension Mohalla station, stopped him and beat him up with their lathis for venturing out of his house. They allegedly did not allow him to explain where he was going and why.

According to eyewitnesses, Mr. Ahmed got angry with the sudden beating in the presence of his child. The police booked a case against him for attacking the constables.

Video clippings of the incident doing the rounds on social media show the policemen continuously hitting Mr. Ahmed with lathis on his head, back and legs. They did not spare him even after he ran into a nearby house to escape. The clips have been widely shared on social media platforms and the police criticised for their actions.

Wife’s complaint

Subsequent to the incident, Mr. Ahmed’s wife Reshma filed a complaint with the police, accusing the two constables of assaulting her husband. However, the complaint has not been registered yet. She alleged that the police beat her husband severely on the road and dragged him into the police station, where they continued to beat him. According to her, when she went to meet him in the station, she was not allowed inside but could hear her husband being assaulted.

The police got a medical examination done and produced Mr. Ahmed before a magistrate, who ordered his release. His family members took him to a private hospital, and he had to get stitches on his head and body. The doctors who treated him suggested that the family take him to NIMHANS in Bengaluru for further examination.

Imran, an advocate, told The Hindu that the police had initially refused to register Ms. Reshma’s complaint. However, after he spoke to senior officers, he got an assurance that the complaint would be registered. They are still waiting for the process to take place.

Mr. Ahmed’s nine-year-old son, who was witness to the incident, has not yet come out of the shock of it all. “He had a fever that day and his father went through all this on the way to a clinic for a health check-up. He could be seen in the video clips that went viral,” the advocate said.