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Official beats student for spitting on wall in Bihar’s Purnia
Satyendra Singh, the officer, said he caught the student spitting after chewing tobacco. However, he denied having beaten him or filming the assault
A block development officer allegedly assaulted a 22-year-old student with a stick, forced him to wash a wall for spitting in Bihar’s Purnea district, and later posted a video of the assault on social media.
“I admitted to my mistake and continued to beg for forgiveness... [He] called me to his chamber and beat me badly with a bamboo stick,” the student said. He said he was standing in a long queue for a certificate when he spat.
He alleged the officer got the assault filmed. “Soon after it was posted on social media, my friends and relatives started calling me... I feel greatly humiliated.”
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Satyendra Singh, the officer, said he caught the student spitting after chewing tobacco. “I asked him to wash it to send a message of cleanliness especially when the coronavirus cases are increasing.” Singh denied having beaten him or filming the assault. “Someone in the crowd may have made the video and posted it on social media.”
The student has filed a complaint against Singh before the district magistrate.
