The city police commissioner on Monday sought explanations from the officer-in-charge of the South Traffic Guard and a sergeant on reports that a civic volunteer had forced to the ground an alleged pickpocket and put his booted foot on his throat.
Sources said the top cop, Soumen Mitra, called the two officers to Lalbazar and sought explanations for the alleged incident at the Exide crossing in south-central Kolkata on Sunday.
The civic volunteer, Tanmoy Biswas, has been “demobilised” for an indefinite period and the two officers were reprimanded, sources said. The spot where the alleged incident happened is under the jurisdiction of the South Traffic Guard.
The sergeant, sources said, was standing not far from the place of the alleged incident.
Police commissioner Mitra told The Telegraph: “I am shocked as a citizen and embarrassed as a police officer. Such behaviour by a member of the force is not acceptable. The civic volunteer has been demobilised. An inquiry has been instituted to recommend remedial measures, although we undertake regular training on behaviour and soft skills. We need to do more.”
He told a news conference that a departmental inquiry would be conducted by an officer of the rank of additional commissioner.
“Civic volunteers are there only to assist the police. They are an auxiliary force,” he said.
“Although a civic volunteer’s training is not like that of a constable, but still we arrange a lot of in-service courses for them. We will check why he (Biswas) suddenly did something like this."
Biswas allegedly assaulted the man, who had been accused of lifting a mobile phone and a wallet on a bus, before handing him to Shakespeare Sarani police station.
Sources said a woman had reported the loss of her mobile phone on a private bus. A co-passenger complained that his wallet, too, was missing.
Passengers zeroed in on the accused and dragged him out of the bus at the Exide crossing around 6.30pm on Sunday.
The man was handed to a civic volunteer, who allegedly beat and then kicked him.
A purported video of the incident was widely circulated.
Biswas did not respond to text messages or calls from The Telegraph on Monday seeking his reactions.
The police said it had been found during a preliminary inquiry that the sector sergeant, Suman Mondal, was standing near Rabindra Sadan, prosecuting vehicles. The alleged pickpocket was assaulted a few hundred metres away.
Mondal and the officer-in-charge of the South Traffic Guard were asked to explain the incident before the top cop on Monday.
The incident brought to the fore the need for better training of civic volunteers, who are often seen performing a police officer’s duty on the road without realising that they could be overdoing their part.
A purported video of the incident was widely circulated.
Biswas did not respond to text messages or calls from The Telegraph on Monday seeking his reactions.
The police said it had been found during a preliminary inquiry that the sector sergeant, Suman Mondal, was standing near Rabindra Sadan, prosecuting vehicles. The alleged pickpocket was assaulted a few hundred metres away.
Mondal and the officer-in-charge of the south traffic guard were asked to explain the incident before the top cop on Monday.
The incident brought to the fore the need for better training of civic volunteers, who are often seen performing a police officer’s duty on the road without realising that they could be overdoing their part.