It was two lanes down the road, however, that the HC and SPO found a group of men approaching them from behind, armed with sticks. (Representational Image) It was two lanes down the road, however, that the HC and SPO found a group of men approaching them from behind, armed with sticks. (Representational Image)

A head constable and a special police officer in Nuh were beaten up by 11 people on Sunday evening when they directed one of them to remain inside his home, and tell his companions – who they had spotted huddled on a street corner with him – to do the same in light of the lockdown.

According to Head Constable Anil, the complainant in the case, the incident occurred at around 7.30 pm in ward number 14 on Pataudi road.

“One of our SPOs and I were on rider duty, when we spotted a group of 8 to 10 men standing at a street corner and talking. Upon spotting us, they all dispersed and fled into an adjoining lane, where one of the men stopped in front of his house,” said HC Anil.

“We warned him that he and his companions should remain in their homes because of the lockdown, or else action would be taken against them, and then continued on our way,” he added. Follow Coronavirus LIVE News Updates

It was two lanes down the road, however, that the HC and SPO found a group of men approaching them from behind, armed with sticks.

“One of them demanded to know that who was it who said we cannot go out of our homes. I tried to explain the situation to them, but they kept arguing, and we called for backup. Before the additional force could reach us, however, they attacked us with the sticks and started beating us up,” said HC Anil.

“When the Station House Officer came, he intervened and demanded to know who had started the issue, when we pointed to a boy called Rakesh, and he tried to grab him to take him to the police station, however, the others attacked us once again. They also grabbed our sticks and used them to hit us. Although the SPO and I sustained only minor injuries, the SHO sustained a head injury,” he said.

An FIR was registered regarding the matter under Sections 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 379B (snatching with hurt, wrongful restraint, or fear of hurt), 307 (attempt to murder), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code at the Tauru City police station.

“An FIR has been registered regarding the matter, and we have arrested five people so far,” said Krishan Kumar, PRO of Nuh Police.

HC Anil, meanwhile, was back on duty on Monday morning. Speaking to The Indian Express, he said, “I am out on rider duty very often, and nothing like this has happened with me so far. Usually people listen to us when we tell them to remain inside, at most we have to just be a little firm with them.”

“I do not know why these men reacted the way they did, maybe they were mentally troubled because they were having to stay in their homes during lockdown, I do now know. But this incident is not going to affect my work, I am not afraid. This is my duty, and I have to do it,” he said.

The incident comes to light a day after three policemen in Punjab were attacked by a group of Nihang Sikhs in Patiala when asked them to show their curfew passes. The accused, in the attack, had also chopped off the hand of one of the personnel, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Harjeet Singh, with a sword. His hand was reimplanted in a 7.5 hour long surgery on Sunday.

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