A police constable from Sangareddy district in Telangana was caught on video kicking a grieving father on Wednesday, 26 February. The Telangana police which calls itself as 'people-friendly police' found itself in a bind as the video was widely shared, in which the constable can be seen kicking and manhandling the father who had just lost his daughter.
A 17-year-old student Sandhya Rani, studying in Narayana Residential College in Velimala, Sangareddy district, had allegedly killed herself in her hostel on Tuesday, 25 February. However, parents claim that the management had killed their daughter and orchestrated it as a suicide. The victim’s mother said on Tuesday Sandhya complained of high fever, but the hostel authorities neglected her. Later at around 1 pm, they informed them that their daughter had killed herself.
Suspecting foul play in her death, parents and relatives refused to move the body from the hostel demanding justice for the young woman. However, the Sangareddy police forcefully shifted the body to Patancheru government hospital for autopsy.
On Wednesday, while police were rushing the body to the hospital, Sandhya's father, Chandrashekar obstructed the police by falling in front of the freezer in which the body was kept and tried to prevent the police from taking the body to perform the autopsy.
Soon, a police constable identified as Sridhar kicked Chandrashekar and tried to drag him away, even as the distraught father continued to hold on to the freezer and refused to give in. The action of the constable has sparked outrage amongst netizens, who demanded action against the insensitive constable.
The video of the incident went viral, prompting Sangareddy Superintendent of Police to respond.
Promising action against the constable, Sangareddy in-charge SP, Chandana Deepthi tweeted, "The police were trying to prevent the agitators taking law into their own hands at the mortuary, yet suitable action will be taken for any wilful misbehaviour exhibited by the officers on duty, as alleged in the video."
After inquiry, the erring officer was attached to the headquarters and a departmental enquiry has been inititiated against him.
(This article has been republished in arrangement with The News Minute)
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