A 30-year-old man was allegedly thrashed by a policeman for "hugging people" in Southwest Delhi's Sagarpur area. Meanwhile, police said they have suspended the police personnel and a departmental enquiry has also been initiated against him.
A video of the incident also went viral on social media sites. In the video, a policeman can be seen attacking the man, who was sitting in the middle of a road, with a stick.
"When the man tries to walk away, the locals joined the policeman and hit the victim with sticks again. When a passerby enquires, a man says that he was hugging people in the park," as per video.
The victim was later identified as Imran, a resident of Sagarpur in southwest Delhi.
According to the family members, Imran went to a mosque on Wednesday. "Imran then went to his elder sister's house, who also lives in the same locality and the incident took place when Imran was returning home" said one of the family member of Imran.
Narrating the incident he said when Imran was returning home, he saw police near the park. "He got scared and started running as he thought he was violating the lockdown. The policeman followed him and attacked for spreading coronavirus. People also joined him in attacking Imran. Imran doesn’t have Coronavirus, but even if he did, police should have taken him to hospital for the treatment and informed us," he added.
According to police said the officer has been identified. "The policeman, who is seen in the video, has been identified as a constable posted at Sagarpur police station. He has been suspended and a departmental enquiry against him is underway," said a senior police official.