Bengaluru: Dare to film a guilty cop and get thrashed!

Bengaluru: An increasing number of citizens, who are daring to expose guilty police officers with their mobile phone videos, are being attacked by the police in the city. In the latest incident, a techie was pushed into a patrolling jeep, taken to an isolated spot, punched in the face and threatened with a drug peddling case on Saturday night.

The techie Ajith (name changed), who hails from Kerala, told Deccan Chronicle that he was videographing two policemen in a Hoysala patrolling jeep taking hafta from a roadside vendor, when he was assaulted, in BTM Layout around 8.30 pm on Saturday.

Police inspector Shekhar at the Mico Layout station took note of Ajith’s complaint and summoned the two guilty policemen. ACP Obalesh B.N. said that an inquiry has been ordered and that strict action will be taken against the policemen.     

Cops caught on camera: Techie assaulted, detained
With great power comes great responsibility. But in Bengaluru, this adage falls flat, as those in power believe that it is also within their rights to abuse it. Close on the heels of two traffic policemen assaulting motorists in separate incidents for filming them last week, another incident of city police assaulting a Kerala-based techie has come to light.

Ajith (name changed), a resident of Adugodi and a software engineer, was allegedly assaulted, punched in the face by night beat cops, accused of peddling drugs and was forcibly detained on Saturday night in Mico Layout police limits. Ajith (28) told Deccan Chronicle that he was videographing two policemen in a Hoysala jeep, taking hafta from a shopkeeper when he was attacked.

The two night beat cops pushed him into a Hoysala vehicle, drove to an isolated spot, punched him thrice in the face and threatened to book him for drug peddling.

Ajith and his two friends, who too are software professionals, were returning home after meeting a friend at BTM Layout when Ajith noticed the Hoyasala vehicle parked in front of a shop to collect the hafta near Swadisht Ahaar in BTM Layout around 8.30 pm on Saturday.

Ajith stopped and started filming the hafta collection, but the shopkeeper signaled the two cops in the jeep that they were being videographed.

At the same time, another cop on a Cheetah patrolling bike arrived at the spot. He too saw Ajith filming the incident, joined the two other cops from the Hoysala jeep and confronted the techie. The three policemen caught hold of Ajith and pushed him into jeep, Ajith alleged.

“They were forcing me to sit inside the jeep. I resisted and asked them what my crime was, to which one of the policemen said, ‘You are a drug peddler and we are arresting you’,” Ajith said.

Ajith’s friends, who witnessed the incident, ran after Hoyasala.

“The policemen didn’t listen to what Ajith had to say. They forcibly dragged him inside the jeep and drove away. We ran to the police station to make sure that he was fine,” said one of the friends, who wished not to be named.

Ajith said, “The policemen stopped the jeep at an isolated place and threw three punches at my face. They threatened me that they would book me for drug dealing and took me to the police station.”

Departmental inquiry initiated
At the police station, Ajith narrated his ordeal to Mico Layout police station inspector Shekhar. He immediately took note of the complaint and summoned the two guilty cops. Mr Shekhar told Deccan Chronicle, "The victim is innocent and the three constables were at fault. I took up the matter on priority and asked the victim to identify the two cops who beat him. While the two have been identified, the third cop who was on the Cheetah bike is yet to be ascertained." South-east division Assistant Commissioner of Police Obalesh B.N. said that a disciplinary action will be taken against the erring cops.

“We will not tolerate such acts. The constables had no right to illegally detain him and assault him. I have initiated an inquiry and suitable action will be taken against the three policemen.”