Mauganj (MP): Two policemen were removed from field duty on allegations of cutting the "shikha" (a tuft of hair worn by Brahmins) and breaking the sacred thread of a protester in Mauganj district, an official said.
The alleged incident occurred on September 6 after police personnel evicted the complainant, identified as Narendra Mishra, from a highway where he was staging a protest along with a group of villagers, the official said.
The villagers were protesting after a resident was allegedly run over and killed by a vehicle of a liquor contractor.
The complainant was arrested for blocking the highway, a police officer said.
"Shahpur police station in-charge BC Vishwas and constable Vivekanand Yadav were removed from the field duty to ensure impartial inquiry after police received a complaint against them," said Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Anurag Pandey.
He said the preliminary investigation found no proof to support Mr Mishra's allegations.
Mr Mishra stated in a complaint that constable Yadav and two persons cut off his "shikha", broke his Janeu (sacred thread), and thrashed him at the behest of the police station in-charge BC Vishwas.
Mr Mishra was threatened with dire consequences if he lodged a complaint.
In response to the allegations, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari appealed to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to suspend the policemen involved in this incident.
"Has the BJP government recruited policemen or goons? In Shahpur, a Brahmin youth Narendra Mishra, who raised his voice against the liquor mafia, was brutally attacked by the police, after which these goons in uniform plucked the Shikha of the Brahmin brother, which is not only an inhuman act but also an insult to Hindu traditions," Mr Patwari posted on X on Monday.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)