In a shocking incident, two minors who were in a relationship, were allegedly verbally abused and physically assaulted by policemen at the Chinnachowk U/G Police Station in Andhra's Kadapa district.
According to media reports, the two minors eloped, before they were caught by the parents, who informed the police on Sunday.
The parents handed the minors to the police, in order for the latter to counsel them and advise them against taking any drastic steps.
However, in a turn of events, the minors and activists later alleged that the boy and the girl were thrashed inside the premises of the police station.
"I have known him for one year, They told me that if the entire incident happened with my consent, then nothing would happen to the boy. Otherwise, we will beat him and send him to a sub-jail," the minor girl told reporters.
"I told them that it was mutual and nobody forced me to do anything, but they still beat him like a dog. They even thrashed me, not even seeing that I was a girl. They said very insulting things, and beat us till we bled," she added, between sobs.
She also alleged that her parents had rejected the boy, because he was a 'lower caste' and an ST.
The girl even pointed out the police officers who had allegedly beaten her, stating that the Circle Inspector (CI) was the main culprit.
The relatives of the girl also sided with the two minors, stating that the police had every right to book a case if they did something wrong.
However, they pointed out that assaulting them was not the answer.
Despite this, the CI remained brazen when questioned by the media, and said, "We checked the birth certificates of both the minors, and then decided to handover the girl to her parents, However, she insisted that she didn't want to go home. Therefore, her father 'knocked some sense' into her."
When asked if any of the police officers had hit the minors, the CI blatantly denied it, and said that all those allegations were false.