Hours after a journalist in Shamli was beaten up on camera by a group of GRP personnel for covering the derailment of a goods train, DGP Uttar Pradesh OP Singh on Wednesday ordered the immediate suspension of Station House Officer (SHO), GRP Shamli, Rakesh Kumar and Constable Sanjay Pawar.
"We have come across a video where a journalist has been beaten up & put up in a lock up. DGP UP OP Singh has ordered for immediate suspension of SHO GRP Shamli Rakesh Kumar & Const. Sanjay Pawar. Strict punishment shall be accorded to policemen misbehaving with citizens," read the UP Police twitter handle.
In the video, the journalist can be seen been mercilessly hit by a group of men. The victim also spoke to and narrated his ordeal, saying, "They were in plain clothes. One hit my camera and it fell down. When I picked it up they hit and abused me. I was locked up, stripped and they urinated in my mouth."
The incident took place just a day after the Supreme Court pulled up Uttar Pradesh government for putting journalist Prashant Kanojia behind the bars for posting tweets on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The apex court ordered the immediate release of Kanojia yesterday after he was put jailed for over three days.
( With inputs from ANI )