AAP posts video of police assault, three cops suspended

New Delhi, Jan 24: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Friday released a video showing three policemen beating a man and pulling out his wallet. The policemen have since been suspended.

This comes just days after Kejriwal led a protest Jan 20 and 21 against Delhi Police and staged a roadside sit-in in the heart of the capital.

The AAP posted the video online with a message that asked union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde whether action would be taken against the policemen caught on camera.

The party said the footage was shot by a "vigilante", namely Dharmendra Kumar from Madhya Pradesh, near Delhi's Red Fort Jan 12.

It shows the uniformed men beating a man with a stick, pulling out his wallet and taking away money from it.

Dharmendra Kumar uploaded the footage on YouTube, a video sharing website, from where AAP party members picked it up and shared online.

"Just after the video was uploaded, the police came into action and three cops were suspended," Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat told IANS.

The suspended policemen -- Jitender, Arvind and Saurabh -- are posted as constables at the Kotwali police station near the Red Fort.

"An internal inquiry has been ordered in the case," said a police officer.

"Delhi Police is known to be brutal. Every now and then we hear stories about Delhi Police's brutality. Here is another such video. Not only does the video clearly show Delhi Police's inhuman behaviour, but also the urban legend of police extorting money is caught on camera," AAP said in its message.

Kejriwal held a traffic-stopping 33-hour protest this week to demand action against Delhi Police officers who refused to make arrests as ordered by his ministers.

The chief minister has blamed the force for the rising crime in the capital, and demanded that the administrative control of the force, which rests at present with the union government, be transferred to the state government.

IANS