A day after video clips of Telangana police thrashing a few youngsters in Rajanna-Siricilla surfaced online, four officials including two sub-inspectors have been attached to the district police headquarters, pending an inquiry. The decision is seen as disciplinary action against the officials.
The decision came amidst the outrage against the alleged excess of the police officials. Two video clips shot from a balcony show a constable, a home guard and two Sub-Inspectors slapping, kicking and beating youth with a lathi.
In one video, a policeman walks a group of four young men towards another cop, who then proceeds to beat at least two youngsters with a lathi.
In another video, which was shot from a balcony, a group of five policemen surround a youngster. As one policeman holds on to him from behind, he is slapped by another cop on the back, then on the face, and then kicked in the stomach. The youngster is then hit with the lathi by another policeman.
The incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday at Telangana's Siricilla town. The police claimed that at around 1 am on Wednesday following New Year’s Eve celebrations, a few young men belonging to two different groups engaged in a brawl near a petrol pump on Siricilla-Karimnagar Road, and created public nuisance.
According to the district SP, few youths allegedly broke liquor bottles on the main road and tried to trespass into another person's house. The police alleged that the youth tried to physically intimidate a resident and this led to the police using 'some physical force'.
The decision to attach the police officers to headquarters was taken even as a detailed inquiry into entire incident is underway. Speaking to TNM on the development, SP Rahul Hegde said, "There was a clash between two groups. One of the groups took iron rods during which the police personnel over there had to use the force to take control of the situation. But there was a feeling that there was excessive use of force. A detailed inquiry has been ordered. In the meantime, all the officers who are on duty at that particular place and time have been attached to headquarters."
He further added, "Prima facie it appears that there was some extra use of force. Whether it is required or not will come out in the detailed inquiry, but as of now they (police officers) have been moved from the police station and attached to headquarters."
In a parallel development police officials have registered a case against the four men and few others along with them under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) of the Indian Penal Code, along with other relevant sections.