In an instance of alleged police excess, a youth was allegedly mercilessly beaten up by the police on the road at Pipili in Puri on Monday night.
The video of the incident has gone viral on social media platforms.
In the video, a police officer was purportedly seen hitting the youth, identified as Nrusingha Pradhan of Hasanpur village under Pipili block, with a baton.
Sources said the youth had a scuffle with a fuel pump employee over filling of petrol in his vehicle. The matter went to the police and they reportedly came to an agreement following a compromise at the police station.
However, for some reason, the police thrashed Pradhan on Monday night on the road.
The video shows, a police officer thrashing the youth mercilessly with a stick while two other cops hold his hand so that he cannot move.
While the exact reason behind the alleged police excess is still unclear, neither Pradhan nor the police have made any statements in this connection so far.
It is pertinent to mention here that some home guards had allegedly assaulted some fruit and vegetable vendors on charges of flouting lockdown and Covid protocols in May 2021.
A working journalist had also sustained injuries in an alleged attack by some police personnel in Puri during the same time while covering the Covid enforcement drive by the cops in the city.