A peaceful outing at the beach earlier this week turned into a nightmare for Thalassery couple Pratyush and Megha, after an alleged moral policing bid by the local police escalated into brutal harassment and arrests. The duo was reportedly idling near the famous Thalassery pier around 10.30 pm on Tuesday, July 5, when the police first approached them with a warning that it was better for them to leave, because the area was a hub for ganja sales and other criminal activities. According to Megha, her husband's questioning of this moral policing irked the officers, who went on to arrest the duo and harass them at the police station. The police, meanwhile, have claimed that the couple was asked to leave because of the bad weather, and was eventually arrested because they physically abused the officers.

Sharing her experience with media persons, Megha said that there were a number of other people at the beach when she arrived there with her husband Pratyush. “After it began to rain, (my husband and I) moved under a shade. That was when the police approached us and started questioning us as to why we were there. When we told them that we were just visiting the beach, they warned us that a lot of ganja sales and other such activities took place in the area, and that it was better for us to leave. In response, my husband asked them in a very decent manner if there was any order that disallowed people from coming there. But it was immediately clear that the police did not like the question,” she told Asianet News.

The police then asked for the licence and registration papers of their (two-wheeler), Megha said. “We did not have the documents in hand at the time. But my husband had told them that we would bring the papers to the station and even pay the fine for it. When the officers started to tow our vehicle, he asked them if it was necessary to do so. This seemed to further irk the officers, who shouted at him that they would take him to the station. They had caught hold on to his collar. He told the officer three to four times not to be physical, that we can resolve the issue by talking. But then three of them took hold of him by force and dragged him into the police vehicle. I was also taken to the station, even though there was no woman officer present,” she said.

Megha, who was made to wait outside the station while her husband was taken inside, alleged that a Circle Inspector in civil dress, who seemed to have been extremely inebriated, went on to severely assault her husband. “I could hear a lot of noises from the inside. Eventually, my husband told me that he was brutally beaten up and was kicked on his back with a boot. They tried to hit him on his abdomen several times. He was also apparently hit on his head and face,” Megha said, adding that she was also verbally abused by the officer. “He also repeatedly said that he would hang me at that station,” she said.

The police, meanwhile, have registered a case against the duo, accusing them of physically abusing officers. Megha, who received bail, asserted that this was a completely false case. Pratyush is currently in remand. The family has filed complaints with the Chief Minister’s Office and the SP Office.