Pathanamthitta (Kerala), Feb 5 (PTI) Three policemen, including a sub inspector have been suspended from service after their alleged assault on a family group near a bar here in the early hours of Wednesday, which created an uproar among the public.
Police sources said Pathanamthitta SI Jinu S and two other cops who were part of the patrol team involved in the incident have been suspended by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police Ajitha Begum pending enquiry.
Earlier, Opposition Leader in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheeshan, demanded stringent action against the policemen who abused their power to carry out the brutal attack on innocent people.
He said the police officers should not be allowed to continue in service. A proper investigation should be conducted into the complaints of those who suffered brutal attack from the police, Satheeshan said.
Three members of a family were injured after they were allegedly assaulted by the police team in front of the bar due to ‘mistaken identity,’ police said.
The police patrol vehicle reached the bar after its manager complained that some people were creating trouble in its premises.
According to the injured persons, the police team who reached the spot began indiscriminately beating up people who were around the bar, including the family group whose vehicle was parked nearby.
Some members of the group who had come out of the vehicle were allegedly beaten up in a bid to scare them away.
Three of them, including a woman who fell down while turning away from the attack, were injured, sources said, adding they were admitted to the general hospital.
The incident created public outrage and political leaders including CPI(M) Pathanamthitta district secretary Raju Abraham condemned the police excesses and demanded exemplary action against the policemen involved.
Congress leader and Pathanamthitta MP Anto Antony alleged that there was ‘total anarchy’ in Pathanamthitta district for the last few months. Police, who had failed to put an end to crimes in the district, are now being perpetrators of crime, he charged, and demanded immediate action against the erring policemen.
Pathanamthitta Deputy Superintendent of Police S Nandakumar took the statements of the policemen and the injured persons as part of preliminary investigation into the incident.
The District Superintendent of Police V G Vinod Kumar later submitted a report to DIG Ajitha Begum, following which the suspension order was issued, sources said, adding further investigation was on. PTI MVG MVG SSK KH