Noida: Constable suspended for assaulting two men out to fetch water in Sector 22

The alleged incident was captured on camera and has been doing the rounds on social media.

A police constable who works with the Lucknow commissionerate, and is currently posted in Noida, was suspended Saturday night for allegedly assaulting two men who were out to fetch water in Sector 22.

According to the police, it wasn’t clear initially whether the assailant was a policeman or a private security guard. (HT file photo. Representative image)

The alleged incident took place on Saturday afternoon near some barricades placed in Sector 22. The alleged incident was captured on camera and has been doing the rounds on social media.

The two men are reportedly from Chauda village, a containment zone in  Sector 22.

In the video, the two locals had purportedly crossed the police barricades and were out to fetch water from a nearby source. A man can be seen trying to stop them from going any further leading to an argument between the two parties with several people watching them.

This man later called out a policeman standing nearby, who came to the spot and purportedly kicked one of the victims first, and then took his water container to hit the second person. While threatening the duo to go back home, the policeman allegedly used abusive language against the two persons.

According to the police, it wasn’t clear initially whether the assailant was a policeman or a private security guard. However, a probe in the matter revealed it was a police constable who had assaulted the two men.

“The constable was later identified as Manish Yadav. Yadav works with the Lucknow commissionerate, but is from Noida. When the lockdown was enforced and all public transport came to a halt, Yadav was in town and reported for duty here itself on April 16. On April 24 he was told to work with the Sector 24 police and was deployed in a hot spot area,” said Rajneesh Verma, assistant commissioner of police (zone 1), Noida, who also led the inquiry against Yadav.

Verma said the men who were assaulted were identified from the video, and their statements were taken along with those of several witnesses. The police said the two men have not filed a police complaint in the matter.

The police added the matter had escalated after the two people allegedly ignored the constable’s instructions after he had asked them not to step out to fetch water earlier in the day as well.

Based on the inquiry by the Noida police, the constable was immediately removed from active duty and was suspended for “indiscipline” and for “misbehaving with the public”. The orders for his suspension came from the Lucknow commissionerate, based on the recommendation by the Noida police. Police officers said that Yadav has been handed over to Lucknow police and a departmental inquiry has also been ordered against him.

“A probe is still underway, and if the role of any other person who could have instigated the violence in any way is established then action will be taken against him as well,” the ACP said.