BENGALURU: A police sub-inspector, attached to Subramanya Nagar police station, is in the dock after a video of him ‘torturing’ an accused in the police station went viral on Thursday. It is said that the incident occurred four months ago when the accused, Yeshavanth, had been taken into custody in an alleged sexual harassment case.
In the video, the accused Yeshavanth is seen being given the “Bombay Cut” where his feet are tied to a cane and he is lifted upside down. Sub-inspector Srikante Gowda repeatedly thrashes him with a lathi on the sole of the feet even as Yeshavanth writhes and screams in pain. He is then hit with a hockey stick, which breaks into two pieces.
A senior police officer said a departmental inquiry has been initiated into the issue. Action will be taken based on the outcome of the probe.
The officer said in May, a 21-year-old woman had filed a complaint against Yeshavanth (23), an electrical technician at the World Trade Centre in Rajajinagar. The woman was working as a parking fee collector on the same premise and Yeshavanth would often accost her when she was alone. He had also demanded sexual favours and had started blackmailing her.
On May 10, Yeshavanth allegedly took her to an isolated place and tried to molest her. She escaped from him and later approached the Subramanya Nagar police. Based on her complaint, Yeshavath was arrested. But when he was brought to the police station, he tried to misbehave with the policemen. Yeshavanth also allegedly threatened that he would pour acid on the woman and kill her for filing a complaint against him. This was when sub-inspector Srikante Gowda thrashed him.
Meanwhile, the girl is believed to have told the jurisdictional Deputy Commissioner of Police a few days ago that Yeshavant had stopped troubling her after the police ‘treatment’, else she would have been harmed by him.