SI canes restaurant patrons, staff; video-clip gos viral

Coimbatore, Apr 12 (PTI): A sub-inspector was on Monday transferred to the police control room after a video purportedly showing him beating up the staff and customers of a restaurant went viral in the social media.

The visuals showed the sub-inspector, attached to Kattoor Police Station, entering the restaurant at 10.20 PM on Sunday and beating with a baton the staff and a few customers, citing the restaurant's violation of COVID-19 restrictions.

A woman, belonging to a group of five travellers from Hosur, received minor injuries, the police sources said.

The restauranteur lodged a complaint that the sub- inspector had come to the hotel at 10 PM and asked him to down shutter as senior police officials were on night rounds, the sources said.

Even as the remaining customers were finishing their meal with the shutters half down, the sub-inspector rushed in and started beating up the staff and the customers, including women, despite the government order that restaurants can operate till 11 PM with 50 per cent capacity.

Based on the complaint, the police commissioner ordered the transfer of the sub-inpector to the control room and also an inquiry into the incident, they said.