In his story, Sajeev Gopalan had accused the police of inaction in a molestation case.
A senior journalist was allegedly beaten up, stripped in front of family by Kerala police officers on Sunday. Forty nine-year-old Sajeev Gopalan was rushed to a hospital with serious neck injuries. Mr Gopalan, who works for
Kalakaumudi newspaper, alleged that he was targeted because he did a story against the cops a few months back. In the story, he had accused the police of inaction after two women complained of harassment by a gang of men.
"Two police officials hit me on my neck, kicked and stripped me. A sub-inspector also joined them in the assault. All this happened at my home in front of my wife and 15-year-old daughter. They were like goondas," Mr Gopalan alleged.
He added, "I heard them mention the story as they beat me."
The Thiruvananthapuram journalist's wife, Deepa Sajeev, who is at the hospital with him, said she was in the other room when she heard his screams. "When I rushed to help, I found him naked. My daughter and I started shouting for help. That's when the police left. But they took a relative of ours with them," she alleged.
"These are very serious allegations against the police. A senior police official is heading the probe. If the police officers are found to be guilty, strict action will be taken," Thiruvananthapuram Rural SP P Asok Kumar told NDTV.
However, police sources claim that Mr Gopalan and four others were consuming alcohol at a public place. "When the police tried to stop them, two of them ran away while the rest including the journalist started abusing them. The argument soon turned into a fight," an officer said.
The police have filed a case against the three for assaulting police officers on duty and drinking in public.