India: Andhra Pradesh police officer suspended after his video of kicking a man goes viral

A video of an Indian police officer beating up a man in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district on August 4 has gone viral. The cop has since been suspended.

In the 20-second-long video, the policeman is seen kicking a man in the stomach and slapping him, as he pleads for the officer to stop. The man’s mother can also be seen trying to stop the attack.

Sharing the clip, N. Chandrababu Naidu, Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, @ncbn, wrote: “Shocking! Under orders from (Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party) YSRCP Leaders, a Dalit man who went to lodge a complaint at the police station in Palasa, Srikakulam, was kicked and slapped by police even as his mother wailed and tried protecting her son. When will this YSRCP sponsored brutality and madness stop in AP (Andhra Pradesh)?”

According to Indian media reports, after the incident, another video was released on social media, in which the victim was made to ‘certify’ that the Circle Inspector was just "counselling" him. He claimed that the policeman had even fed him a meal later.

The victim, Marri Jagan, a resident of Tekkali town, had come to the Kasubugga police station in Palasa over a land dispute, to file a complaint.

Circle Inspector Venu Gopal reportedly attacked the man while he was explaining the issue.

Taking note of the issue, the Director general of police (DGP) issued orders to suspend the officer for his behaviour.

"An incident was reported regarding police behaviour with a man in Srikakulam District. Inspector of Kasubugga has been suspended for his high-handed behaviour. An enquiry has also been ordered to go into facts. Such behaviour cannot be tolerated within AP police," the Andhra Pradesh police, @APPOLICE100, tweeted.

A consecutive tweet read: "There is no involvement of any political party in this incident as alleged."