Andhra Pradesh traffic cop suspended after video of him thrashing a drunk man went viral

A video clip of a man being allegedly thrashed by a traffic police head constable went viral on social media on Sunday. While the police initially tried to justify the cop’s action, he was later put under suspension, pending an inquiry. The incident took place near Annamayya circle on AIR by-pass road on Saturday.

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In a conversation with ANI on Sunday, Tirupati DSP traffic Katam Raju said, "On Sunday, a drunken person was arguing with a driver of the Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation who was commuting via the RC Puram road. The drunken person was arguing with the driver for not allowing the former to enter the bus."

"The drunken person was creating a nuisance leading to disturbance in the smooth flow of traffic. The traffic constable who was working on the junction tried to defuse the matter. However, the drunken person chose to use filthy language and shouted at the traffic constable," he said.

The video showed a man, likely in an inebriated condition, being hit by the traffic constable on the roadside. The police official further maintained that the constable didn’t deliberately thrash the man.

Watch the video here: 

@ncbn @naralokesh @MVenkaiahNaidu @SucharitaYSRCP @APPOLICE100
Found this indiscriminate incident happened at #AnnamayyaCircle, #Tirupati. This Traffic police man repeatedly kicked an old man with shoed legs.

Annamayya Circle, Tirupati pic.twitter.com/jO4KdBgZRE

— GIRIDHAR PALLA (@itsmegiridhar) June 12, 2022

The police said, "However, as per the viral video, prima facie it looks like the traffic cop manhandled him. We are looking into the matter. We have suspended the traffic cop at the moment." The police are investigating the matter.