Chatra; An Indian Army jawan was brutally thrashed by policemen in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Wednesday for not wearing a mask. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media and messaging apps, causing a lot of anger among people. Following the outcry, three police personnel along with two other officers have been suspended. The action was taken on the basis of the incident report submitted by the officials in Chatra’s Superintendent of Police (SP) office.
Video footage shows a jawan named Pawan Kumar Yadav being brutally thrashed, kicked and slapped by a whole bunch of policemen in Chatra’s Karma Bazar area. Police was checking the area as part of a drive to enforce wearing of masks when Mr Yadav, a resident of nearby Ara-Bhusahi village, reached there on his bike.
The jawan was stopped by the policemen and the keys of his bike were removed by a police constable, constable Sanjay Bahadur Rana. The army personnel protested fiercely after the keys of his two-wheeler were snatched away. Police began a barrage of beatings and kicks and punches – many of the police personnel who participated in the attack were not themselves wearing masks.
Yadav was taken to Mayurhand police station after being rescued by the angry villagers. Chatra SP Rakesh Ranjan has sought a report taking cognizance of the matter. Local MP Sunil Kumar Singh spoke to Mr. Ranjan and demanded strict action against the police personnel involved.
(EW correspondent)
