Lucknow Police SI under fire for viral slap incident during Ganesh Chaturthi event

A viral video purportedly shows Aliganj sub-inspector Jitendra Singh slapping a man during a jagran. Police said an ACP is probing the incident.

A 27-second undated video purportedly showing a Lucknow police sub-inspector slapping a man during a Ganesh Chaturthi jagran in Aliganj has gone viral, prompting a departmental inquiry.

The ACP’s inquiry is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident and the conduct of the police personnel involved. (Deepak Gupta/File representative HT image)

The video shows sub-inspector Jitendra Singh slapping the man, following which he falls to the ground. The policeman is also heard allegedly using abusive language.

Other policemen later make the man stand as spectators watch the incident, with one of them recording it on a mobile phone.

The man in the video has been identified in social media posts as Suraj Lodhi, who is being described as a political leader. The incident reportedly took place during a Ganesh Chaturthi jagran in Aliganj’s ward 159. There are also allegations that Lodhi had misbehaved with women during the event. These claims have not been independently established.

“Prakaran ki jaanch ACP Ghazipur dwara ki ja rahi hai. Jaanch uparant avashyak vibhagiya karwai amal mein layi jayegi,” police said in response to the viral video.

The police statement did not specify the circumstances that led to the physical altercation or whether any complaint had been received against Lodhi over the alleged harassment of women. The ACP’s inquiry is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident and the conduct of the police personnel involved.