15 booked for assaulting cop in Varanasi

15 booked for assaulting cop in Varanasi

Fifteen people have been booked for allegedly assaulting a police sub-inspector here, officials said on Wednesday.

This comes after a video of the incident went viral on social media and was shared by some opposition leaders.

In the video, a group of men is seen pushing and kicking the sub-inspector (SI) who has fallen on the road.

Based on a complaint registered by the SI, who is posted at a police outpost under the Dashashwamedh police station area, an FIR has been registered against 15 people, the officials said.

According to the FIR, the incident occurred on Sunday night when the SI stopped three motorcycle-borne men and asked them to show papers of the vehicle.

''The accused said that they were office bearers of an organisation and started attacking me. Soon some more people known to them reached the spot and attacked me,'' the complaint read.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Pragya Pathak said, ''An FIR has been registered under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the matter and a probe has been ordered.'' Efforts are being made to arrest the accused, the ACP said.

The incident drew condemnation from opposition leaders who claimed that those behind the attack were BJP workers.

In a post on X on Monday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said, ''The violent behaviour of BJP workers with the inspector in Varanasi, the prime parliamentary constituency of the country, is the height of the BJP's anarchy. Now let's see when the bulldozers will reach the houses of these anti-social elements.'' Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai termed the incident worrying.

''The reports of misbehaviour by BJP workers with police... in the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is worrying,'' he said.

''Why is the RSS protecting these unruly people? Even the law keepers are not safe under the double-engine government,'' he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)