CPO throws lathi at biker who rams vehicle into car, suffers head injury

A 22-year-old man suffered a serious head injury on Thursday after a civil police officer (CPO) threw a lathi at him when he allegedly refused to stop his motorcycle during a vehicle checking.

Kollam resident Siddique lost control of his motorcycle after being hit by the lathi and rammed it into a car.

The CPO, Chandramohan, was suspended immediately after the incident and two other officers involved in the vehicle checking were transferred.

Kerala DGP Loknath Behra instructed the Kollam superintendent of police to register a criminal case against the police official who threw the lathi at Siddique.

"I have instructed the district police chief to register a criminal case against the accused. If any such case comes up, the district police chiefs will be held responsible," Behra told reporters at Thiruvananthapuram.

Locals blocked the traffic for a few hours on the Parippally-Madathara Road, protesting against the incident.

Siddique's father told reporters that the police took his son to the nearby taluk hospital and left him there.

"The hospital authorities informed me about the incident," he said.

The Kerala High Court recently came down heavily on the manner in which the police resorted to checking vehicles on busy roads.

The DGP had also issued guidelines to be followed while conducting vehicle checks.