Constables thrash 65-year-old woman, daughters

Police claim women were raising a jhuggi on govt. land; victims allege policemen demanded money

A 65-year-old woman, her daughter and daughter-in-law were brutally beaten up by two Delhi Police Constables on Monday night in north-east Delhi’s Shastri Park.

Delhi Police Spokesperson said that the two policemen, identified as Constables Jaichand and Sanjeev, have been sent to district lines as part of disciplinary action.

The woman, Munni Bai, her daughter Sonia and daughter-in-law Alma sustained injuries. Munni nursed a broken left arm and Alma’s ear got hurt.

Recalling the incident, Munni said she had been living in the jhuggi near Bihari building for over two decades. The roof over the jhuggi had blown away during the recent storm. “On Monday night, around 8.30 p.m., we were fixing the tarpaulin on the jhuggi. That is when two policemen came and started shouting and telling us that we can’t put the roof,” Munni said.

‘Heavily drunk’

The senior citizen said that the two policemen were heavily drunk. They pleaded with the policemen, but they demanded money. “I told them I don’t have money. My son-in-law Bablu also said that we’ll shift the jhuggi the next day. As we didn’t give money, they started abusing us,” she said, adding that when Bablu intervened, they thrashed him.

When the women went to rescue Bablu, they allegedly started beating them with sticks. Meanwhile, four-five policemen from the station arrived at the spot but only the two who had initially come were thrashing them, the family said.

Similar incident

A neighbour, identified as Zarina Begum, a vegetable seller, alleged that the two policemen also abused her on Sunday and took her weighing scale. “They casually tell us to remove the jhuggis and then demand money,” she alleged.

Locals took videos and photographs of the incident. A video of the policemen beating up women with sticks went viral.

Bablu said that after the incident, they dialled the police control room and the PCR van came and the women were taken for medical examination.

Coerced to compromise

The family alleged that they were called to Shastri Park police station on Tuesday morning and were coerced to “reach a compromise”. But they demanded justice and action against the policemen.

“At the police station, they noted everything we shared. They have not given us any paper. They kept telling us to reach a compromise. Somehow, after spending hours, we managed to leave in the afternoon and we are still getting calls,” said Bablu.

Delhi Police spokesperson claimed that the two Constables, while patrolling in the area, “came to know that someone is raising an unauthorised jhuggi on government land near Bihari building” after which they rushed to the spot where Munni was raising the jhuggi with her family.

Police claimed that Munni and her family abused the policemen.

“Beat officers asked them to stop this illegal activity. However, Munni and other men and women started shouting and abusing the policemen who patiently asked them to stop this and listen to them. However, they didn’t stop and started attacking Constable Sanjeev who is beat officer of the area. They tore off his uniform and beat him. Sanjeev called to the police station for help and some more staff reached there,” he said, adding that Munni and her daughter and Sanjeev sustained injuries.