Tarn Taran: Policemen in Punjab are seen clearly on camera hitting a young woman who allegedly tried to complain about harassment by a truck driver. The shocking footage was shot on a cellphone by a witness.
Two policemen have been suspended for the brutal assault.
The 23-year-old woman says she was harassed by the truck driver while returning from a wedding party.
Her family then decided to approach constables who they spotted on the road at Tarn Taran near Amritsar.
But, the woman says, instead of helping her, the policemen took a bribe from the driver and started beating her.
Despite the footage, a senior police officer tried to defend the cops involved. "I don't think our cops did anything (wrong)... they were actually trying to intervene and stop the fight between two sides," said Sukhbir Singh, who heads the local police station.
Some policemen said that the altercation began when constables tried to arrest the victim's father, who was allegedly drunk and was misbehaving. They say the woman tried to stop her father from being taken away by the policemen. However, they agreed that even if that were the case, there was no justification for the police hitting her in retaliation.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has promised strict action against the errant cop, saying that there would be zero tolerance towards any misconduct, especially towards women.