In an alleged instance of police highhandedness, the driver of a pick-up van was brutally beaten up by a group of policemen at Puruna Cuttack in Boudh district during a security check on Thursday night.
A video of the alleged police brutality went viral on social media and the comment section was flooded with angry reactions against the police brutality.
As per reports, the Puruna Cuttack police carried out a nakabandi (security check) on the Khordha-Bolangir National Highway-57 on Thursday night. The pick-up van was heading towards Choudwar in Cuttack district from Bilaspur with a cargo of vegetables. When the vehicle neared the checking point, the cops signalled the driver to stop.
“Obeying them, I pulled over. Before I could say anything, they opened the door and accused me of driving while talking on the mobile phone. Even though I was not talking on my phone, I begged for letting me go. But they were in no mood to listen to me and asked me to get down. They then started beating me up. I have suffered bruises in the beating,” alleged the driver.
As if the thrashing was not enough, the cops also issued a challan imposing a fine of Rs 1,000 on the driver.
The driver was so terrified that he could not mutter enough courage to lodge a complaint against the rogue cops. Fearing implication by the police on false charges, he decided against registering a complaint against them.
When contacted for reaction over phone, Puruna Cuttack police station IIC Jyotsna Kanouri admitted that the driver had been fined. “He is yet to lodge a complaint regarding his allegation of police highhandedness,” she said.