Woman govt officer slaps minor girl over land dispute in Varanasi

The officer alleged that dozens of people had occupied a land near the Kapsethi police station in Bishampur and she came to take possession of that.

A woman government officer was seen slapping a young girl amid a dispute over illegal land occupation in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi district. A video capturing the incident went viral on social media, which sparked criticism and discussions online about “how government officers handle local issues.”

Deputy tahsildar Prachi Keswani had arrived at the scene to take possession of disputed land following a High Court order. (via Live Hindustan)

In the viral video, which Hindustan Time could not independently verify, an argument unfolded between the villagers and the officer when a teenager spoke. The officer responded by slapping the girl, provoking furious reactions from the villagers who started shouting at her. Police officers were present and intervened to control the situation, attempting to mediate between both sides.

As per a report by Live Hindustan, a sister publication of HT, the incident occurred in Bishampur village, Varanasi. Deputy tahsildar Prachi Keswani arrived at the scene to take possession of the disputed land following a High Court order. A confrontation between her and the locals started, resulting in the slapping incident.

What happened there?

The Live Hindustan report said that the deputy Tahsildar, who had gone to the site to take possession of the land, was asked to show the High Court's order. She told the villagers that the order would be in English, which they wouldn't be able to read.

An intermediate student stepped forward and spoke to the officer in English, requesting the High Court order. As the young girl persisted in demanding the order, the officer ended up slapping her. The police, who were present at the scene, intervened and removed the officer from the area due to the anger expressed by the villagers over slapping a minor girl.

The officer alleged that dozens of people had occupied the land near the Kapsethi police station in the village. She said that the high court had issued an order regarding the encroachment. Following the altercation, the woman officer left the scene without successfully completing the process of taking possession of the disputed land.

Officer denies slapping

Deputy tahsildar Keswani denied slapping the girl and claimed that the video does not show the full situation that occurred there. She sai that she did not slap anyone and that someone had accidentally bumped into her from behind, making it look as if she slapped.