3 cops suspended for hitting driver

NEW DELHI: Demonstrations continued on Monday outside Mukherjee Nagar police station where a taxi driver and his son were assaulted a day earlier, leading to a political storm and the suspension of three policemen.

Scores of slogan-shouting protesters gathered outside the police station near Delhi University and tried to break into the complex, only to be pushed back by a strong contingent of security personnel. Two assistant sub-inspectors and a constable have been suspended for unprofessional conduct over the way they handled the situation on Sunday after a ‘Gramin Seva’ taxi brushed a police vehicle, trigger ing a chain of unpleasant events. Deputy commissioner of police Vijayanta Arya said a probe has been initiated into the incident.

“They took us inside the police station. One of them instructed the others to switch off the CCTV and then they started beating us badly,” said Balwant Singh, 16, son of driver Sarabjit Singh, 45. “First they punched my face multiple times and later one of them started hitting me with his pistol’s butt on the head. I felt like I was a terrorist who was being interrogated,” said the teenager , who was with his father when the incident took place.

The investigation will be conducted by an additional deputy commissioner of police along with an assistant commissioner of police to ascertain the role of the policemen in the incident which was caught on camera.

Police said the driver and his son first attacked them with a sword. The father was swinging a sword while chasing the police. On the other hand, Sarabjit’s friends alleged that the father and son were dragged out of the vehicle by police personnel and assaulted and again beaten up at the police station. Further action will be taken following the outcome of the probe, Arya said.

AN INVESTIGATION BY ADDITIONAL DCP HAS BEEN INITIATED INTO THE INCIDENT, SAID DCP VIJAYANTA ARYA