The Hindu : Man allegedly beaten by cops

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Man allegedly beaten by cops

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 16. A businessman was allegedly beaten by some policemen after he refused to part with money demanded by a constable near Hotel Taj Palace here in the early hours of Monday.

According to the complainant, it all happened around 2 a.m. when Nand Gopal Aggarwal, a resident of Shastri Nagar, was on his way home from Dhaula Kuan. He was passing by Hotel Taj Palace when he found the road blocked due to an accident. Mr. Aggarwal slowed down and waited for the road to be cleared.

Shortly afterwards a police constable knocked at his car's window. "I rolled down the window-glass, upon which the constable asked me to show the vehicle's documents. I promptly did. Finding all the papers in order, he demanded Rs. 200 for `chai-pani,'' he alleged.

Mr. Aggarwal claimed that he tried to convince the constable that he was a good citizen and produced an identity card showing him as a member of one All-India Crime Prevention Society (Delhi State). The constable then allegedly said the identity card could be forged and again demanded money. Mr. Aggarwal refused to give the money, following which the constable asked him to come out of the vehicle.

"The constable forcibly took out Rs. 1,200 from my purse. He then contacted someone on a wireless set. Meanwhile, on getting a chance I informed my relatives. After a while, one Mr. Kaushik reached there in a Gypsy and started abusing me straightway. He along with some other policemen, who had gathered there by then, began beating and kicking me," said Mr. Aggarwal.

Having sustained bruises all over his body, Mr. Aggarwal pretended that he had fallen unconscious. "They found out that I was just acting, upon which they again started beating me," he alleged.

The police officer allegedly threatened Mr. Aggarwal. He then took out a sugarcane stick from his Gypsy, allegedly poked it into Mr. Aggarwal's stomach several times and dumped him in the vehicle to take him to Chanakyapuri police station. "To my surprise, as he reached the police station, he suddenly became polite and asked me who had beaten me up so badly. Mr. Kaushik and some other policemen threatened to frame me if I did not give in writing that I was beaten up by some men and the police saved me from them. Afraid of being tortured yet again, I signed the papers," alleged Mr. Aggarwal.

According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), Manoj Lall, a probe into the matter has been entrusted with the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Public Grievance Cell, Swatantra Kumar. He said the police officer in question was an inspector with the District Investigations Unit, B.R. Kaushik, who was on night duty on Sunday.

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