Man says cops hammered nails into his palm, foot for not wearing mask

LUCKNOW: A 36-year-old man in Bareilly accused policemen of hammering nails into his palm and foot for not wearing a mask.

The ‘victim’, Ranjit Pal, reached the office of SSP (Bareilly) along with his mother to lodge a complaint in this regard. Pal’s mother claimed that some neighbours found her son in a semi-conscious state with nails hammered into his left palm and foot. She accused the cops of torturing Pal after they found him outside his house without a mask.

However, SSP (Bareilly) Rohit Singh Sajwan refuted the claim, stating that the injuries were self-inflicted to avoid police action in an FIR lodged against him on May 24 for violating Corona Curfew norms (Pal was found moving on the road without wearing a mask).

“The allegations are baseless and the man inflicted injuries on himself to avoid arrest in an FIR lodged against him on May 24. He was absconding since then,” said Sajwan.

The said FIR was lodged against Pal under IPC sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intention to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty)

Police officials also alleged that Ranjit was involved in many petty crimes, including damaging idols in a temple, in the past. Meanwhile, the SSP arranged for medical help for Ranjit.