Dhamtari, Jun 7 (PTI) A video of a motorcycle rider accusing police personnel of assaulting him during a late-night vehicle checking drive in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district has gone viral, with officials denying the allegations and claiming the man was non-cooperative and failed to show identity documents.
The alleged incident occurred between 1 am and 2 am on June 5 near the Mujgahan-Potiadih bypass under Arjuni police station limits on the outskirts of the city.
“Police routinely set up checkpoints at various locations in the city to verify suspicious persons and vehicles,” Dhamtari City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Abhishek Chaturvedi said on Sunday.
One such checkpoint is established every night near the Mujgahan-Potiadih bypass from around midnight. During checking, police stopped a motorcycle heading from Dhamtari towards Mujgahan as its front number plate was broken, Chaturvedi said.
After being stopped, the rider allegedly argued with the constables and refused to produce any documents, the officer said.
“A woman and a child were travelling with the rider. Since the family appeared to be speaking in a language unfamiliar to local residents and the rider failed to furnish identity documents while riding a motorcycle with a damaged number plate, constables grew suspicious and informed senior officers,” said Chaturvedi.
The station house officer of Arjuni police station reached the spot and questioned the rider about his identity and reasons for being out late at night, he said.
The man continued arguing with the SHO while recording videos on his mobile phone and repeatedly attempted to provoke him. He also failed to produce any documents related to his identity, vehicle or place of residence, Chaturvedi said.
The rider allegedly identified himself as a resident of the Aamdi area and told police he was returning home after watching a movie in Dhamtari. He also claimed to be living in a rented accommodation, but no information regarding his tenancy had been submitted to the police station, he said.
Police contacted a local councillor from the Aamdi area to verify the man’s identity and later allowed him to leave after instructing him to visit the police station the next day with identity, vehicle and tenancy-related documents and complete the required registration formalities, Chaturvedi said.
The CSP denied allegations that the man was assaulted and said officers merely attempted to control the situation while the rider shouted and tried to provoke them.
The man has not yet appeared at the police station or submitted any documents, the officer said, adding that the rider’s landlord submitted documents on Sunday identifying him as S. Kishore.
Police also found that the motorcycle he was using was registered in another person’s name, he added.
In the viral video, the man can be heard questioning police for stopping him in the middle of the road and alleging that an officer switched off his motorcycle on a highway despite him travelling with his sleeping daughter and wife to their home after watching a movie.
He is also heard alleging that a policeman threatened to detain him overnight and asked him to wait until a senior officer arrived.
He also accused a senior police officer of slapping him before he began recording the incident, and claims he had shown his movie ticket to prove he was returning home from a cinema.
The officer is seen denying the allegation and questioning when he had allegedly slapped the man. As the argument escalates, the man is heard calling the officer a liar, following which the officer is seen grabbing his face in an apparent attempt to snatch the mobile phone. PTI Cor TKP NSK
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