Four people, including a teenager, were arrested on Saturday allegedly for engaging in a scuffle with a team of policemen while they tried to fine one of them for smoking in public. The incident took place at Valapattanam in Kannur district of Kerala on Saturday when the police were patrolling.
According to the Valapattanam police, during the rounds, the officers found the 18-year-old boy smoking on the roadside. When the officers stopped the vehicle on the road to fine the 18-year-old, three men approached them, asking that the police to remove their vehicle from the spot as it was blocking vehicular movement. This led to an argument.
In a video that has surfaced now, one officer trips and fall during the scuffle. Though the police then told the four to enter the police vehicle, the latter refused. One of the four men was even streaming the incident live on Facebook. In the video, the police can be seen forcefully trying to nab the three men.
According to reports, Valapattanam Sub-Inspector Vijesh, Assistant Sub Inspector Rajan and Civil Police Officer Gopalakrishnan sustained minor injuries. The officers were admitted to Kannur district hospital following the incident.
An official at Valapattanam police station told TNM, “The SI suffered a minor injury to his eye, while the ASI's shoulder was hit and has been injured, and another police officer was also injured. None of them has any major injuries, they were discharged on Saturday.”
Meanwhile, the men who refused to enter the police vehicle, at last reportedly went to the police station in an auto-rickshaw.
The four men have been identified as Valapattanam natives, Nishad, Irshad, Minhaj and Navab. They have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty).
The arrested were produced before the magistrate following the arrest and have been remanded.
(With inputs from PTI)
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