As relief work continues in Chennai post the catastrophic deluge, a video showing a policeman in uniform snatching relief material from an elderly woman at MGR Nagar has gone viral.
In the 20-second video, the officer identified as Special Sub-Inspector Kumar of MGR Nagar police station is seen going up to the elderly woman to examine the bag of relief material and then forcefully taking it away, despite objections from other women and volunteers.
The Times of India reports a volunteer as saying that she thought Kumar had come to help and organize the relief operations, as a number of people had gathered around the volunteers on Pillaiyar Koil Street in MGR Nagar.
“I was shocked to see him snatching the bag of materials from the old woman, who could not raise her voice against him,” the volunteer told TOI.
Following this, City Police Commissioner T K Rajendran ordered Kumar’s transfer and a probe into the matter.
Another senior police officer is quoted as saying, “The SSI may have collected the bag to assist the elderly woman. We have assigned an assistant commissioner of police to conduct a formal inquiry into the issue. We will initiate departmental action against the policeman concerned based on the report.”
However, Kumar’s senior officer said there have been no complaints about Kumar in the past adding that Kumar had taken the relief material only to give it to another needy person.
“He was working hard during the floods. We have asked for the whole video. Only after we see it, can we conduct a detailed enquiry,” the officer told TOI.