An inquiry was ordered after images of a scuffle between a sub-inspector and a woman, who alleged that she was dragged to the ground and assaulted by the policeman, appeared on social media, though the police here refuted her claim citing video clips of the incident.
S-I Mahendra Patel was taken off active duty on Saturday night to ensure a free and fair probe, officers said.
Superintendent of Police of Kanpur Dehat, Keshav Kumar Choudhry, said a photograph of the S-I allegedly overpowering a woman in Durgadaspur village of Kanpur (Rural) on Saturday went viral on social media.
The officer said an inquiry was ordered as it was alleged by the woman that the S-I pulled her to the ground and hit her after sitting on top of her as she did not agree to his “demands” for sparing her husband who was to be arrested.
The SP, however, said that images of the incident showed the woman caught hold of the S-I’s collar after which he fell on her.
Action after CO’s report
Circle Officer (Akbarpur) Arun Kumar Singh has been asked to probe the matter properly and submit a report at the earliest, the SP said. He added that further action would be taken on the basis of the findings.
Yadav was allegedly gambling and caught by the police but his mother and wife got him forcibly freed which led to a scuffle between the S-I and the women, said another senior officer. Police officers said Yadav’s wife fell on the ground accidentally, but claimed that she was beaten.
The woman had told mediapersons that the S-I slapped her and then pushed her to the ground. She further alleged that S-I Patel had demanded money to let off Yadav and the family’s refusal enraged him.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had slammed the U.P. police and shared a picture of the woman lying on the ground and struggling with the policeman. The BJP hit back, accusing him of spreading fake news. “A former CM should check the facts before making accusations,” BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya tweeted, while sharing a video of the incident.
