Kendrapada: Six cops from Kendrapada Town Police Station were suspended on Thursday for an alleged assault on an ex-serviceman for not wearing a mask and helmet.
The victim was identified as Manoranjan Rout, who sustained injuries in the attack. The incident happened in Kendrapada town’s Tinimuhani Chowk on Wednesday evening. A CCTV installed near the spot captured the high-handedness of the cops. The incident was also recorded by some locals on their mobile phones.
According to sources, Rout and his wife Ranjita were on a motorcycle when cops at Kendrapada Town stopped them during a routine drive against traffic rule violators. Rout was fined Rs 500 for not wearing a helmet.
Rout allegedly threw the penalty amount in the face of a cop which led to a heated exchange between him and the cops. The police personnel later brutally assaulted Rout with batons.
Surprisingly, the cops arrested Rout on charges of assaulting the policemen on duty. However, after the video of the policemen beating Rout went viral on social media, Kendrapada SP Sandeep Sampad Madkar decided to suspend all six cops. The names of the suspended cops were not disclosed, sources said five constables and a havildar faced the action.
District ex-servicemen association condemned the incident and demanded strict action against the policemen who attacked Rout.
“The administration was forced to take action against the policemen as they were seen beating up the ex-serviceman in the viral video. All the policemen who assaulted Rout should be arrested,” association president Mahesh Kar was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.
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