COIMBATORE: The Commissioner of Police for Coimbatore city, A Saravana Sundar, has ordered an inquiry into the alleged police harassment of a young man, who was travelling in a car in the Kottaimedu area of the city two weeks ago.
The incident was recorded by local residents and has gone viral on social media, with claims that it involved police excess. As a result, an inquiry was initiated. In response, the city police released another video on Thursday with the young man, whose face is masked, admitting that the matter was resolved shortly after the incident, and someone had recorded and shared the footage online.
Sources said that on June 24, two young men in a car were allegedly stopped by a police team from Ukkadam police station for a vehicle check near Kottaimedu. The suspects allegedly tried to evade the team, but police stopped the car and thrashed the driver, as visible in the video recorded by local residents, they added. Meanwhile, allegations have circulated on social media that a police team led by a sub-inspector is harassing the public in that area. Following the growing controversy, police released their response video on Thursday.
In another video that has also been circulating, the same sub-inspector can be seen confronting members of the DMK party at the Townhall on Tuesday. The issue flared up after AIADMK men installed a flex poster in front of the logo of DMK's 'Oraniyil Tamil Nadu' campaign. The video shows a DMK functionary accusing the police officer of working in favour of the AIADMK MLA SP Velumani and behaving like a goon. The functionary allegedly threatens the officer to have him dismissal from his position.
Police sources said that the officer is being targeted by certain people by spreading these videos.