The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Delhi government, and the police to respond to a petition on the alleged police assault on a Gramin Seva driver and his son in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar area last week, PTI reported. The court also sought an independent report from the joint commissioner of police within a week.
The court, in its order, also asked the media not to reveal the identity of the minor boy who was beaten up. “Delhi Police has many fine officers, if there are some who cannot control themselves, action needs to be taken against them,” ANI quoted the court as saying. “Those who assaulted the father are separate but identify the ones who assaulted the child.”
The petitioner sought an inquiry by an independent agency such as the Central Bureau of Investigation.
On Sunday, a group of policemen beat the driver and his son, and dragged him across the road in Mukherjee Nagar in Northwest Delhi after an accident. Videos of the assault were shared widely on social media. In one of the videos, the driver was seen chasing policemen with a sword, while in another video, the policemen were seen beating him with sticks.
The policemen, identified as Assistant Sub-inspectors Sanjay Malik and Devendra and Constable Pushpendra, were suspended after the incident. The driver, Sarabjeet Singh, was booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to attempted murder and attack on a public servant on duty.
On Monday night, a large number of people from the Sikh community gathered to protest outside the Mukherjee Nagar police station. The protestors demanded the suspension of police officials involved the incident.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has condemned the “police brutality” and demanded an impartial investigation. Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jarnail Singh on Wednesday wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah, asking him to take strict action against the police officials. “I hope the home minister looks into the law-and-order situation in the national capital and take strict steps so that such incidents do not recur,” Singh said, according to PTI.
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