3 policemen suspended for unprofessional conduct during fight between cops, tempo driver

New Delhi: Three policemen have been suspended for "unprofessional conduct" during a clash with a tempo driver, who chased their colleagues with a sword after his vehicle collided with a police van in northwest Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar, a senior officer of the Delhi Police said on Monday. The police have registered cross cases in connection with the incident, he added. Meanwhile, Shalimar Bagh ACP KG Tyagi was allegedly beaten up by protesters at Mukherjee Nagar on Sunday evening when he went there to inform them about the suspension of the three police personnel.

A police officer was injured after he was allegedly attacked by a "Gramin Seva" tempo driver at Mukherjee Nagar on Sunday evening, the police said, adding that the driver also chased the officer with a sword, following a collision of their vehicles. Video clips of the incident have gone viral on the social media. In one of the clips, the man is seen chasing policemen with a sword in his hand, while in another, the policemen are seen thrashing him with batons.

According to Delhi Police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Madhur Verma, based on the statement of the policeman who sustained injuries while on duty, an FIR has been registered against "Gramin Seva" driver Sarbjeet Singh on the charge of assault using weapons and another case has been lodged on Singh's complaint for alleged excesses committed by policemen. The cases were transferred to the Crime Branch for independent investigation, Verma said. Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range) Manish Kumar Agarwal is separately conducting a fact-finding inquiry into the matter, he added.

On the basis of his preliminary findings, three police personnel, including two assistant sub-inspectors, were already placed under suspension for their unprofessional conduct in handling the situation, Verma said. In all, eight policemen were injured in the incident, he added. The accident involving Singh's vehicle and a police jeep led to a brawl between a police officer and the tempo driver which soon turned violent. The driver allegedly assaulted the police officer on the head with a sword, Verma said, adding that subsequently, the police tried to overpower him. The tempo, which was being driven dangerously, hit a policeman, causing injuries in his leg, he said. A senior police officer said whether the incident took place over parking issues or whether the tempo had rammed into the police jeep first was under investigation.

"After the assault, the tempo driver could have been overpowered more professionally and taken to the police station. Use of force while overpowering a person or a criminal, who has assaulted a police official, is not unjustified. However, once you have overpowered a person, if you subsequently use force and drag him to the police station, that is uncalled for and unprofessional," he said. In a statement, the Delhi Police reiterated that it followed a zero-tolerance policy towards any unprofessional conduct or unnecessary excess even while performing official duties or handling a crowd control situation.