AP: The Andhra Pradesh Police Department announced on Thursday that four police constables in the Anakapalli district had been suspended for attacking a soldier.
Tuesday morning, within the boundaries of the Parawada police station, the constables had roughed up Syed Alimullah, a soldier from the Army’s 52nd Battalion of the Rashtriya Rifles.
Two constables named Sobha and Naidu approached Alimullah as he was waiting to board a bus to his hometown and asked for assistance in downloading the Disha app. The soldier asked them about their identities and questioned why they had written down the one-time password required to install the app while he was downloading it.
A skirmish broke out between the constables and the soldier after the latter refused to come to the police station to validate their identity cards. The constables also allegedly attempted to push the soldier into a three-wheeler, and two of their colleagues joined them in the attempt.
Videos of the incident that locals captured on their phones quickly went viral on social media. Additionally, it was brought to the attention of K V Rajendranath Reddy, the state director general of police.
Afterwards, the DGP suspended A Devallu, B Sobha, M Muthyala Naidu, and P Ramesh, the four constables.
A press release from the DGP’s office stated that “the DGP issued orders for the immediate suspension of the four Parawada constables for behaving rudely and attacking a soldier over the Disha app download at Santhabayalu.”
According to a quote, Reddy said that police should defend citizens rather than carry out attacks on them, calling such actions intolerable.
He forewarned law enforcement officials that engaging in such overbearing conduct would result in harsh consequences.
Superintendent K V Murali Krishna of the Anakapalli police department told PTI that the four officers had been suspended after being placed on the armed reserve. STH SS PTI
