Policeman sacked for beating up Dalit child
Another policeman suspended; criminal cases filed against both
Etawah/Lucknow: In a shocking case of police brutality, two policemen beat up a six-year-old Dalit girl for allegedly stealing Rs. 280 from a woman. The Uttar Pradesh police chief on Tuesday sacked one of the policemen, suspended the other and filed criminal cases against both.
“Senior sub-inspector Shyamlal Yadav has been sacked, SHO Chandrabhan Singh has been suspended and criminal cases have been filed against both,” Director-General of Police Vikram Singh told reporters in Kanpur. He said the Etawah SP had been directed to personally apologise to the child.
The girl was beaten up on Monday after one Anju Katharia took her to the Jaswantpur police station alleging that the child stole Rs. 280 from her wallet and gave the money to another boy in a market near Lohamandi in Jaswantpur area.
Yadav then beat her up. The victim’s mother claimed in an FIR that the girl was innocent.
“My daughter saw somebody running away with a wallet in the market, but the police caught my daughter.”
Television channels showed Yadav grabbing the girl by the ears and hair, threatening and asking her to admit that she stole the money, even as six other policemen, including SHO Chandrabhan Singh, looked on. Initially, the district police justified the action, saying the girl confessed to having stolen the money and it was also returned to the owner. But after the news reached the DGP, stern action was taken against the two policemen involved.
Terming the incident “unfortunate,” the U.P. police chief said that keeping in mind the seriousness of the incident, quick action was taken even as he accepted that police had been “highly negligent” and the matter would be investigated thoroughly.
Asked if any case has been registered against the girl, he said the police had been instructed to proceed cautiously while using Section 107 of the CrPC (which deals with preventive detention) against women, children and the elderly.
But Additional Director-General, Law and Order, Brijlal told reporters in Lucknow that a case had been filed against the girl on the complaint of the person whose money was stolen.
He said cases had been filed against the policemen as well under the SC/ST Act. — PTI
