A police officer in Uttar Pradesh who had allegedly been sleeping during duty hours has been accused of assaulting with a belt a Dalit youth who had come to the police station to lodge a complaint.
A video of the police officer in underwear and vest beating the youth with a belt in Badaun district was shared widely on social media. Pintu Jatav, 24, who was allegedly assaulted, has identified the officer as sub-inspector Sushil Kumar Bishnoi.
Pintu told reporters: “I had gone to the police station at 3pm on Monday to register a complaint against my elder brother, who has grabbed my land. Sushil Kumar Bishnoi, the sub-inspector, was sleeping on a cot in his underwear and vest. He asked me how much money I had in my pocket that I had dared to enter the police station. He abused me and told me to get lost when I said I don’t bribe anybody. He got more angry when I told him that the matter is important and he must take cognisance of my complaint. He picked up his belt and started beating me. As I ran towards the lawn, he chased me and kept beating me.”
Pintu is heard saying in the video while being forced to remove his clothes: “You are beating me and forcing me to remove my clothes. I am doing so. Keep beating me and kill me.”
Pintu later told reporters: “Tired after beating me for about 15 minutes, Bishnoi withdrew.”
Dhananjay Pandey, the officer-in-charge of Wazirganj, said the video appeared to have been shot in his police station.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav tweeted in Hindi: “It was good that the sub-inspector had a beltand not a Thar (jeep) or a bulldozer.
