The ugly face of Delhi Traffic Police was revealed on Monday when a Head Constable attacked a woman with a brick in the posh Golf links area over a minor altercation, just a kilometer away from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence.
Traffic Head Constable Satish Chand was suspended and later dismissed from service. He was also placed under arrest by the Tughlak Road Police after the woman lodged a written complaint.
Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi has ordered an enquiry into the incident. The traffic cop’s shameful behaviour was exposed after a video clip of the attack surfaced.
The victim, who was riding a white scooty with her three daughters riding pillion at the time of the incident, alleged that Satish Chand accused her of jumping a red light and demanded a bribe. She alleged that one of her daughters was also abused by the cop. She said that following an argument, the policeman picked up a brick and attacked her.
The incident took place at the Golf links traffic signal around 10.30 am when the victim, Ramnjeet Kaur was returning home to Chiragh Dilli after picking up her six-year-old daughter Gagandeep from Guru Harkrishan Public School in New Delhi district. She was also accompanied by her elder daughter Yamini (13) and a six-month-old baby.
As they crossed the red light, Satish Chand (50) asked her to stop and park. “When I stopped, Chand told me that I had jumped the red light and he would issue a challan,” Ramnjeet Kaur said.
When she asked about the receipt, Chand demanded a bribe of `200 stating that he would only allow her to go after she paid. Chand also refused to issue the receipt.
“Then, I said that I will not give the money unless you give me the receipt of the challan. He got angry and started abusing me in front of my children. Then he picked up a piece of brick from the road and threw it at me.”
Yamini, who had witnessed the whole incident, said her mother requested the police officer to pardon her for jumping the red light. “My mother requested the uncle but he hit my mother with a brick. The people who were around us caught uncle and I called up the police by dialing 100,” Yamini said.
Police took Chand to the Tughlak Road Police Station and booked him under the relevant sections for misbehaving with a woman. Ramnjeet whose wrist was hurt in the incident was taken to Ram Manohar lohia Hospital and discharged after treatment. Sources said that Chand tried to injure himself while in police custody to make it appear like he had also been attacked by the woman.
Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Muktesh Chander said: “Seeing the gravity of the deplorable criminal misconduct of hitting a woman with a brick, Head Constable Satish Chand has been dismissed from service with immediate effect.”
Chand had joined the Delhi Police as constable in 1988. For the past one year he had been posted with the traffic police unit at Tughlak Road Circle.